Louise Jean Signore was alive to witness two world wars, the Great Depression, the moon landing, and even the rise and fall of the Soviet Union.
Feisty to the end, the Big Apple’s oldest resident has now died at 113, friends told The Post.
“She lived a good life,” longtime friend Frances Perkins said Tuesday. “She had a fantastic life. She was a happy person. She never talked about having any regrets.
“She was one of the very few people to live to see their 113th birthday,” said Perkins, 77. “That’s a blessing. She belonged in a small but very special group.”
Born in 1912 in Harlem, the oldest of five siblings born to Italian immigrant parents, Signore was a true New Yorker who worked for the MTA for 39 years, including as an administrative assistant.
Louise Jean Signore with friend Frances Perkins, 77, shortly after Signore celebrated her 113th birthday. Courtesy
Louise Jean Signore was born in Harlem and grew up in the Bronx, and worked for the MTA for 39 years. James KeivomShe attributed her long life to physical activity, from swimming at Orchard Beach, long walks and a passion for music and dancing that lasted through her final years at Co-Op City in the Bronx.
After her mother retired to Florida, Signore would spend the winter months there, playing bocce ball, swimming and biking in the warmer climate, according to the age-tracking site LongeviQuest.
Described by friends as “feisty to the end,” Signore even survived being mugged in her building at the age of 103 in 2016 — with the crook knocking her to the ground and staling $35 and a pack of bingo cards.
In August, The Post celebrated her 113th birthday with a report on her trip to the Bartow Center near her Bronx housing complex to listen to her favorite music — still unable to stop tapping her feet.
Signore seen with friends in a 1928 photograph.
According to LongeviQuest, longevity was a common trait in Signore’s family — her younger sister lived past 102, her mom died at 97, and all three of her brothers died in their mid-90s.
“She could be mischievous at times,” Perkins said of her old friend. “Whenever you see that gleam in her eyes and that little smile, you knew she was up to something.
“I’m sad because she’s no longer with us, but I’m happy that she wasn’t in pain,” she added. “The mind was still there but the body was slowing down.”
