Gerontology Wiki
Gerontology Wiki
Gerontology Wiki
7,885
pages
in: Male centenarians, American centenarians, 1889 births,
and 9 more

Frank Shomo

Sign in to edit
Frank Shomo
Frank Shomo
Birth: 20 February 1889
Lockport, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, USA
Death: 20 March 1997
Black Lick, Indiana County, Pennsylvania, USA
Age: 108 years, 28 days
Country: United StatesUSA
Centenarian

Adam Franklin "Frank" Shomo (20 February 1889 – 20 March 1997) was an American centenarian who was among the oldest known living men in the United States at the time of his death. He was also the last known survivor of the 1889 Johnstown Flood, which he survived when he was just 100 days old.

Biography[]

Early Life and Johnstown Flood Survival[]

Frank Shomo was born in Lockport, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, USA on 20 February 1889. He was an infant, only 100 days old, on 31 May 1889, when an earthen dam across a tributary of the Little Conemaugh River collapsed under pressure from the rain-swollen waters of Lake Conemaugh. With that, a wall of water raced down the Little Conemaugh and slammed into Johnstown, a riverside city 55 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, at 4:07 PM. All told, 2,209 lives were lost in the flood and a related fire.

Photos of the 1889 Johnstown Flood's effects. From top, left to right: damage in Downtown Johnstown, an artist's rendition of the flood and fire at , damage at the John Schultz House, and people surveying the damage in Johnstown following the flood.

Photos of the 1889 Johnstown Flood's effects. From top, left to right: damage in Downtown Johnstown, an artist's rendition of the flood and fire at Johnstown's Stone Bridge, damage at the John Schultz House, and people surveying the damage in Johnstown following the flood.

At the time of the flood, Shomo and his family were living about 20 miles down the river from Johnstown in the town of Lockport, where he grew up. His home was along the former Main Line Canal, which was on ground high enough to escape the flood, and his father often told stories to him about the terror of that night, and how their home became a haven for flood survivors.

Shomo was very grateful that he and his family survived the flood. He once said that his father teased him and his brother about dipping their feet in the water, so they could say they survived the flood.

Some time after the flood, Shomo's family moved to Pack Saddle, between Blairsville and Robinson. When he was 14, he went to work at the James Gardner Brick Retort Works in Blairsville, making retorts that converted coal into gas. He also spent 45 years working for the Pennsylvania Railroad. Shomo once said that "he had the best gang of men on the railroad."

Photos of the 1936 Johnstown Flood's effects. From top, left to right: damage on Baumer Street, high water mark at the Johnstown Post Office, flood wreckage on Clinton Street, and debris on Vine Street.

Photos of the 1936 Johnstown Flood's effects. From top, left to right: damage on Baumer Street, high water mark at the Johnstown Post Office, flood wreckage on Clinton Street, and debris on Vine Street.

Shomo helped repair rail lines following Johnstown's second great flood in 1936. The storm that caused the flood in 1936 also washed the ground away from underneath the tracks. According to Shomo, the tracks were "left suspended in the air like a big clothes line."

Shomo married twice. His first wife was Adda Belle Cunningham, and his second wife was Edna McDermott.

Later Life and Death[]

Shomo retired in 1955, after working for the Pennsylvania Railroad for 45 years. At the age of 70, he took up leather-working and made some money by producing handmade wallets. He never owned a car. When he was 100, he still kept in shape by riding an exercise bicycle. He became the last known survivor of the 1889 Johnstown Flood when Elsie Frum of Johnstown died in 1991.

Shomo was also recognized as being the oldest registered Republican voter in Indiana County (though he said that his favorite president was Woodrow Wilson, a Democrat), the oldest member of the Zion Lutheran (now Faith Lutheran) Church in Robinson, and one of the oldest master masons in Pennsylvania.

When asked about the secret to his longevity, Shomo replied, "Put good cement in the foundation, tend to your own business, and treat others right." He also attributed his longevity to a diet which consisted of pot pies, cabbage, and potatoes.

Frank Shomo died on 20 March 1997 at Blattenberger's Personal Care Home in Black Lick, Indiana County, Pennsylvania, USA, at the age of 108 years, 28 days. At the time of his death, he had two daughters and three grandchildren.

References[]

Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.