The oldest male in the United States was a man of many appetites, even at 110, and his live-in caretaker did her best to feed them. Rosario Reyes would make banana pancakes for Morrie Markoff, and he would plead for more syrup. She'd bring him a corned beef sandwich, followed by a piece of lemon meringue pie, and reluctantly give in when he insisted on washing that down with a cup of hot chocolate.
Markoff wanted to read the paper, watch the news and get in some exercise every day, and Reyes helped make it happen. He made clear that on his 111th birthday in January, he fully expected an exotic dancer to perform in the living room of his Bunker Hill apartment, for the third straight year. Reyes already had the balloons in storage.
In their normal daily routine, they'd listen to classical music together or watch, yet again, two of Markoff's favorite movies: "Midway" or "Guns of Navarone." Markoff also liked "The Notebook," which Reyes hadn't seen. He bet her that if they watched it together, she would cry.
And she did. He called her by her nickname, Charito. She called him Mr.
Morrie. "It was kind of a remarkable relationship," said Judith Hansen, Markoff's daughter, who called Reyes an angel and one of countless unsung heroes in the elder-care ranks. "Dad would not have lived as long as he did without Charito.
She's an incredibly wise woman, and she knew what would keep him going. She knew that he was a man who wanted to accomplish something each day." And he usually did, unti.