Woman's hilarious outburst on realizing she's turned 109-years-old, as she credits 'moonshine and good-looking men' for her longevity

Published: 16:16, 4 April 2026 | Updated: 16:23, 4 April 2026 A Colorado woman had a hilarious reaction after realizing she has officially reached the age of 109, admitting she never thought she would make it that far. Palmer, who lives in Aurora, celebrated her 109th birthday in late February surrounded by family, friends and caregivers, with photos from the party still decorating her home weeks later. When it finally hit her just how old she was turning, Palmer laughed and told KDVR: 'I thought I was too darn ornery to ever get that old.'  Born in Alabama in 1917, the same year the United States entered World War I, Palmer has lived through two world wars, the Great Depression and generations of cultural change. Her late husband, Jim Palmer, was a World War II veteran and career Air Force serviceman who was eventually assigned to Lowry Air Force Base in the late 1950s.  The couple moved to Aurora in 1959, where they bought their first home and raised five children together. During their marriage, Palmer spent three years living in Germany with her husband and traveled extensively before settling down in Colorado. Over the years, she held several jobs, including working at a bookstore on the base, a shoe store and later a department store where she spent nearly two decades. Irma Palmer celebrated her 109th birthday in February Born in 1917, she has lived through two world wars, the Great Depression and decades of social change She continued working well into her later years, eventually retiring at the age of 88 after stints as a caregiver and driver. A longtime member of the First Baptist Church of Aurora, Palmer has said she is grateful for the full and exciting life she has lived. Despite her age, she remained fiercely independent well into her 100s and continued living in the same home where she raised her children. Her daughter, Debbie Safonovs, said she even had her driver’s license renewed at 100. However, after breaking her hip at 104, she required full-time live-in care. Her longevity and life alongside her husband's military service recently earned her recognition as the outlet's Serving Those Who Serve Hero of the Month for April 2026. She spoke tenderly about her late husband, who died decades ago. Born in 1917, Palmer moved to Colorado with her late husband, a World War II veteran and Air Force serviceman, and raised five children 'Well, I miss him so much. He was a wonderful man. Wonderful husband,' she said. Palmer, who jokes about the attention her age brings, continues to charm those around her with her sharp humor and unapologetic personality, even crediting her stubborn streak for helping her reach such a remarkable age.  'Well, I got so much ornery in me, the good Lord's having a hard time getting it out,' she quipped. And when asked the secret to living to 109, she didn't hesitate to share her cheeky advice. 'Well, the first thing was drinking White Lightning (moonshine), and the second thing was chasing good-looking men,' she said. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.