Kuppa Bier, who was 109 years young and as hail and hearty as could be, finally conceded to old age, and succumbed to severe burns which he suffered a week ago when his beard caught fire while he was trying to light his Pittsburgh stogie. He died quietly in his bed, Thursday.
Kuppa Bier, who was born on a small farm on the outskirts of Lemberg, Austria, in 1821, the same year that Napoleon died, attributed his longevity to the fact that for ninety-one years his glass of schnapps and his pipe were as consistently part of his diet as the kosher meat he ate every day from his own butcher shop.
Only three years ago Kuppa Bier retired from the butcher business, though until the day he died he refused to call himself old, or let anyone else do so. Last winter he shoveled the walk in front of his house to prove his physical fitness.
On his 104th birthday he was invited to visit President Coolidge at Washington. This interview was short, but long enough for Kupper Bier to assure the President of 147 votes from the Bier family. In his last days Kupper Bier would sit and smoke his pipe and his greatest delight was to repeat word for word what President Coolidge said to him, and what he said to President Coolidge in return.
Kupper Bier is survived by his wife, Ethel, thirteen children of whom the eldest is seventy-five, forty grandchildren and nineteen great-grandchildren.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
