To the editor: Having had the pleasure of knowing Morrie Markoff and many of his family members for much of my life, I feel that Steve Lopez's column about him could not have been a more perfect tribute. He captured Morrie's humanity, creativity and curiosity, as well as the loving bond formed with his caretaker Charito.
I had a lot of fun creating song parodies for his 100th birthday party and then for his 110th party (“That's Our Morrie” was sung on “That's Amore”). Hearing Morrie laugh was a great pleasure. The family donating her brain for research allows Morrie to continue contributing to the world in which she was so active.
At 108 years old, Morrie was interviewed on Spectrum News. The journalist shared that, to exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic, she Morrie walked around her kitchen table five times and, if she felt very energetic, she added a leaf.
Morrie added a leaf and more to everything he did and to the lives of everyone who was lucky enough to know him, and I'll leave it at that.
Jeannine Frank, Los Angeles
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To the editor: Thanks to Lopez for his wonderful column about Morrie Markoff, who died this month at age 110, the oldest man in America, who said he never had a dull day in his life.
It reminded me of my mother, who died at 85. Although blind and disabled, she “watched” Dodger games because my brother fixed our television so we could hear Vin Scully’s voice. I hope to emulate my mother until I am 85 years old.
My husband had an even more vigorous reaction to López's column. His mother lived to be 105 years old and recently succumbed to COVID-19.
Lopez's column encouraged me to walk to Target to do some big shopping for my four grandchildren.
Bonnie Selway, Manhattan Beach
