TODAY – Gail Stott and her 102-year-old mother, Jane Croft, have a cherished weekly ritual.
Every Tuesday evening, the women head to a McDonald’s in Largo, Florida, for what they affectionally call a “car picnic.” Croft always orders the same thing: a cheeseburger Happy Meal — no onions, no pickles — and a small Diet Coke.
She even has a special uniform for the occasion: a cheerful blue T-shirt featuring a burger and fries.
“At the drive-thru window, the employees recognize us. They say, ‘There’s our VIP girls,’” Stott, 74, tells TODAY.com in a joint interview with Croft.
“Then it becomes this special time, just the two of us, sitting there together, talking about whatever’s on our minds and making memories.”
Though Croft doesn’t discriminate among fast-food chains, she prefers Mickey D’s patties because they’re “thin,” and she loves their french fries “’cause they’re the best around.”
From there, it’s off to bingo, another beloved tradition, where fellow players eagerly gather around the pair to see which McDonald’s toy they received that week. Delightfully, she keeps each prize as a memento.
Croft is remarkably spirited, outspoken, quick-witted and full of humor, even joking about flirting with a paramedic who helped her up after a recent fall. Although her birth certificate marks her 102nd birthday this April, when she asked how old she feels, she replies, “85.”
Croft takes one blood pressure pill daily — her only medication — doesn’t use hearing aids and with moves with surprising speed for her age, her walker barely slowing her down on shopping trips with Stott.
She lived independently in upstate New York and drove her own car until age 98, before relocating to the Sunshine State to be with her daughter.
Doctors attribute her long lifespan to a combination of regular physical activity, strong social connections, genetics, and, according to Stott, “the good Lord” …
