NEWPORT, R.I. (WPRI) — Josephine “Josie” Turner is as sharp as a tack and as funny as a comedian.
The 99-year-old is also a familiar face at Viking Cleaners in Newport, though not because she’s picking up her dry cleaning.
The longtime Newport resident is actually the friendly face behind the counter.
“God has been good to me,” Turner said.
Turner will officially become a centenarian on Oct. 19. It’s not lost on her that turning 100 years old is significant.
“I had four brothers and four sisters,” Turner said. “I’m the last of the survivors — they’re all gone.”
Turner is quick on the draw with one-liners. NewsNation local affiliate WPRI asked her several times what her secret is to living a long life, to which she responded, “I have a drink now and then,” and “I gamble too.”
“You know, I have lousy eating habits,” Turner noted at one point. “I eat everything that I’m not supposed to. But I figure I’ve lived to 99, so what do I have to lose?”
Turner eventually provided a straightforward answer.
“I think it’s working,” she said. “It helps my brain and gets me out of the apartment.”
Turner told 12 News she’s been working at Viking Cleaners for nearly 30 years.
Though she hasn’t always been in the dry cleaning business, Turner hasn’t stopped working since she got her first job at 16.
“In my younger days, we were lucky to have a job,” Turner recalled. “My mother said, ‘Either you work or go to school,’ so I decided to work.”
Turner couldn’t come up with an answer as to why she decided to work at the dry cleaners.
“I really don’t know why I got into this business,” she said.
Even so, Turner emphasized that the job is about more than just a paycheck.
“It’s the customers,” she said. “I meet people and that’s what I like about this job.”
Turner told 12 News she’s contemplating retiring at the end of the year, but hasn’t made a decision yet.
But she did have some sound advice for everyone thinking about their futures.
“Listen to your parents and get an education,” she said. “That’s it.”