Meet Bernice Laboda. She lives in rural La Moille and she celebrated her 110th birthday on Thursday. Bernice may also be the 10th oldest person in the world.

Tenth confirmed, that is.

The Gerontology Research Group keeps a running list of supercentenarians, or people who’ve reached 110 years and older. The group last updated its list on Feb. 4, before Bernice joined their ultra-exclusive club, but as of that date there were nine living people born before Bernice.

Diane Laboda, of La Moille, said her mother snoozed through most of her historic birthday. Bernice did enjoy a small gathering with her family receiving flowers, cards, cookies and, of course, birthday cake.

“She always thought she would have a long life, but never thought she would live this long,” Diane said.

Neither did Bernice’s many children – some of whom are in their mid 80s and poised to join Bernice in the 100-plus club – grandchildren and great-grandchildren. All were “very surprised and grateful,” Diane said, to learn Bernice is among the oldest residents on Earth.

“We are just thankful for each day,” Diane added.

According to records provided by the family, which appeared in articles kept on file by the Bureau County Genealogical Society, Bernice was born Feb. 9, 1913, in Chicago, to Catherine and John Sliwa. She married John Laboda in 1938 and they resided in Bensenville for 41 years. John died in 1996.

Bernice is believed to be the first supercentenarian in the history of the Illinois Valley. Neither the Bureau County Coroner’s Office nor the Genealogical Society knew of any previous supercentenarian within county limits.

A review of news archives showed no one reaching Bernice’s age anywhere in the Illinois Valley, though a few came close. Bertha Dalrymple of Lacon died in 2007 at age 108 and James Terando of Spring Valley, who died in 2004, missed becoming a supercentenarian by only 45 days.

Bernice can attribute her longevity to good genes – her mom lived to be 88, her dad made it to 95 – but also to a good diet and active lifestyle. Bernice grew up on a farm and did not eat processed foods. She preferred to grow her own produce, bake homemade bread and canned goods from her garden.

(She’s not above eating processed food now, however. At one of her triple-digit birthdays, Bernice enjoyed a paczki, or Polish doughnut, courtesy of a granddaughter.)

Bernice never smoked and she drank only sparingly, sipping one or two glasses of wine a year. Once asked how she made it to 100 and counting, daughter Diane said, Bernice had a two-word piece of advice, “Hard work.”

Whatever the explanation, Bernice now in extremely rare company. In front of her are a woman in Spain approaching 116 in early March along with eight others who have passed 114. Among those are three Americans, all women, including a 115-year-old from California and two 114-year-olds from Massachusetts and Georgia.

Bernice will, however, have to blow out many more birthday candles before she catches the world’s record-holder. That distinction belongs to Jeanne Calment, a French woman who died in 1997 at the ripe old age of 122 years, 164 days.

(Calment is oldest authenticated, mind you. There also are innumerable cases of people who likely passed Calment but lacked the official records to prove it.)

Bernice has a better chance at overtaking the woman who holds the Land of Lincoln record: German-born Louise “Lisel” Schaaf of Chicago died in 2020 at 113 years, 192 days.

The number of 100-year-olds has roughly quadrupled in the era following World War II thanks in part to rising standards of living as well as medical advances. Birth records, too, were better kept and more easily retrieved in the 20th century than in previous eras, making it easier for analysts to authenticate record-breaking ages.