Know a local centenarian? Supervisors want to honor them

May 16, 2025

SOLANO COUNTY – The Solano County Board of Supervisors needs the community’s help in identifying centenarians living in our community for recognition at a Board of Supervisors meeting later this fall as part of the 19^th annual centenarian commemoration celebration. 

For the past 18 years, the Solano County Board of Supervisors has celebrated the lives of local centenarians by hosting a special recognition ceremony during a Board meeting. This annual commemoration not only honors some of the county’s oldest residents but also highlights their life stories and draws attention to the unique challenges facing the senior community. 

The life stories of our centenarians are documented in a hard cover yearbook as well as a video that features interviews with those that can participate. We present the video to the public at a Board of Supervisors meeting each year and a copy of the book is given to each centenarian and/or their family as a lasting tribute to their life and contributions to the community. This program, while rewarding for the Board of Supervisors, is really an important part of preserving our County’s rich history. These stories become part of the permanent record, not just for future generations of the centenarians’ families to hold, but for all of us. 

To date the Board has honored more than 275 centenarians in Solano County.  Two centenarians reached super-centenarian status, including Marie West in 2011 and Reta Wills in 2021.  Super-centenarians are those individuals who have reached 110 years or older, which only occurs at a rate of about 1 in 7 million people.   

According to the U.S. Census Bureau 2024 population estimates, approximately 101,000 Americans are aged 100 or older at any given time in the United States, with California having the most at nearly 9,000 residents.  Centenarians, according to the Pew Research Center, are predominately women (78 percent), have a family history of long-lived parents, enjoy regular physical activity, have a balanced diet, and maintain close relationships with family and friends. 

CONTACTING THE COUNTY ABOUT CENTENARIANS
If you know of a centenarian, or, someone who is currently 99 years old and will be turning 100 by year’s end. please email [email protected] and/or call (707) 784-3004 by or before August 1, 2025.  Please relay the following information over the phone or in an email to the Supervisor, including (1) name, (2) address, (3) phone number, (4) and best contact email address.