Man Believed World's Oldest, 112, Said Abstinence Led To Longevity

LONDON - A retired Welsh coal miner who was considered the world's oldest man has died in his sleep at age 112, his daughter-in-law says.

John Evans had firmly believed that his longevity was the result of abstinence from drinking, smoking, swearing or gambling.

``But some part of it is taking hot water in the morning . . . (with) a small bit of honey. I've been doing that since I retired,'' he told the British Broadcasting Corp. on his 111th birthday in 1988.

Betty Evans said her father-in-law died early yesterday in a chair beside his bed at his cottage in Forest-fach, near Swansea, Wales, after feeling ``a little unwell'' for a few days.

The 1990 Guinness Book of World Records said Evans was considered the world's oldest living man because he had a birth certificate proving his age.

It says the oldest living person whose birth date can be authenticated is a 115-year-old woman, Carrie White, born in Gadsden, Fla., on Nov. 18, 1874. She lives in Palatka, Fla.

Evans was born on Aug. 19, 1877, when Queen Victoria was on the British throne. He started working in coal mines when he was 13 and only stopped at age 73 because the National Coal Board made his retirement mandatory.

Evans was fitted with a pacemaker when he was 108. Doctors at Cardiff Hospital said at the time they thought he was the oldest person to undergo the operation and were astounded when he was able to return home three days later.

Evans' 79-year-old son, Amwel, had his own explanation for his father's long life.

``My father always had a very lively mind and just loved life,'' he said. ``I'm sure that had everything to do with his remarkable health. We're all very sad - but very proud of him today.''

Evans is survived by two other sons and a daughter, six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Norris McWhirter, founding editor of the Guinness Book of Records, said yesterday that it is not yet known who succeeds Evans as the oldest man.

McWhirter said the record for longevity is held by Shigechiyo Izumi of Japan, who died Feb. 21, 1986, at 120 years, 237 days.