At 108, This Delaware Woman Still Drives, Works Out, and Has Zero Plans to Slow Down

She Renewed Her Driver’s License Through 2033

Susan Young Browne of Dover, Delaware recently renewed her driver’s license. The new one is valid through 2033. She will be 115 years old.

Browne turned 108 this spring, celebrated at the Modern Maturity Center in Dover with more than 130 guests - including Delaware Governor Matt Meyer - and accepted a standing ovation from the classmates who have cheered for her at group workout sessions for decades. She is one of the center’s original members, having joined in 1973.

She still works out three times a week. She still drives herself. She starts every morning with an exercise routine she has followed for 20 years.

‘I grow old gracefully,’ she said.

Born in 1918, Raised on a Farm With No Running Water

Susan Young Browne was born in Houston, Delaware in 1918 - a year marked by the final stretch of World War I and the Spanish flu pandemic. She grew up during segregation, helped her family work a farm without electricity or running water, and attended Delaware State College for Colored Students - today known as Delaware State University - where she graduated in 1945.

She spent the next 30 years teaching children across Delaware, including in a one-room schoolhouse. When she retired, she made a promise to herself.

‘When I retired and I walked around that classroom for 30 years, I am not going to sit down,’ she said.

She kept that promise.

The Morning Routine That Has Never Stopped

Browne has maintained a personal exercise routine every morning for the past two decades. It starts before she leaves her home and continues with her group fitness classes at the Modern Maturity Center, where instructors and classmates greet her arrival with the kind of warmth reserved for someone who has earned her place in a room many times over.

‘You are the spotlight,’ her classmates cheered as she walked into a recent workout session. CBS Philadelphia reported that Browne’s presence at the center is described as inspirational by staff and members alike.

Staying active, she has said, is not a discipline for her. It is simply who she is.

A Life Lived Fully, on Her Own Terms

Browne is a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Her family still gathers for her famous 7UP pound cake, which she reserves for special occasions only. She is also known for a sharp sense of humor that surfaces without warning.

Asked about her marital status, she smiled and offered a verdict that drew laughter: ‘I guess I’m not great material for men. That was enough. I’m not taking care of another man.’

The birthday celebration this spring drew her community together in the way that only someone who has been present, engaged, and giving for 108 years can generate. The Delaware governor attended. The crowd cheered.

Her Own Reserved Parking Spot

Among the birthday gifts Browne received this spring was one that fit her perfectly: a reserved parking spot - designated specifically for drivers over 100.

She accepted it, of course. And then she pulled out of the lot and drove herself home.

There is no philosophy offered here, no secret to longevity revealed, no lesson attached. There is just Susan Young Browne - 108 years old, still moving, still driving, still showing up.

References: Even After Turning 108, This Delaware Woman Has No Plans to Slow Down | Not Going to Sit Down: 108-Year-Old Woman Still Regularly Exercises and Drives