Rest in peace, Mr. Cano, Doyen of the U.S.A.

https://longeviquest.com/2026/06/luis-cano-americas-oldest-man-dies-at-111/

Luis Cano, America’s Oldest Man, Dies at 111

LongeviQuest is saddened to report the passing of Luis Cano of Linden, New Jersey, United States. Mr. Cano, who was recognized by LongeviQuest as America’s oldest living man, was 111 years old.

His granddaughter confirmed to LongeviQuest that he passed away quietly in his sleep at the family home.

Mr. Cano was born in Andes, Antioquia, Colombia, on 9 December 1914. As a young man, he served in the Colombian Army, where he completed practical training in the battalion’s bakery and ranked second in target-shooting practice in 1939. After his military service, he became a businessman, owning and operating a fleet of buses that transported passengers between towns at a time when such transportation was not yet widely available in the region.

Although he did not have the opportunity to pursue formal education, Mr. Cano became highly skilled in mathematics through his work, performing calculations mentally as part of his business.

He married Alicia Arango Cano on 28 June 1948. The couple had ten children: Nelly, Damaris, Gilberto, Luz Dary, Luis Hernán, Germán, Cecilia, Marina, César, and José. In later years, his family grew to include grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren.

Mr. Cano and his wife moved to the United States in 1990, settling first in Far Rockaway, New York. After his wife’s passing in 2004, he moved to Linden, New Jersey, where he remained surrounded by family and community.

In retirement, Mr. Cano enjoyed gardening, especially planting tomatoes, cilantro, and onions. He also loved fishing, billiards, bowling, and spending time with his family. He credited his longevity to a healthy lifestyle, saying he never smoked or drank alcohol, and often emphasized natural foods including beans, lemons, chili peppers, and avocado.

Following the passing of Eugene Baltes on 29 December 2024, Mr. Cano became the oldest known living man in the United States. His age was validated by LongeviQuest on 19 December 2025. Upon his passing, America’s oldest living man is now 111-year-old Ed Martin of Lehigh Acres, Florida.

In January 2026, LongeviQuest’s Ben Meyers visited Mr. Cano at his home in Linden, along with Linden Mayor Derek Armstead. During the visit, Mr. Cano was presented with a LongeviQuest plaque recognizing his status as America’s oldest man, while Mayor Armstead honored him with a city proclamation.

During that visit, Mr. Cano was alert, engaged, and surrounded by the family members who had been central to his later life. Much of his day was spent in his favorite chair by the window, watching the activity of his Linden neighborhood, where neighbors and passersby had come to recognize and celebrate their city’s oldest resident.

R.I.P. Mr. Cano.

He is the oldest male emigrant in Colombian history, the 2nd oldest male emigrant in Colombian history.
He is the 2nd oldest male resident of New Jersey in history.
He was the oldest living man in North and Central America, a position now held by Ed Martin.
His successor as the oldest living man in New Jersey is Timothy Kiniry, born on November 15, 1921.
He was also the oldest living Latin American emigrant; now that person may be Bertha Principal, who claims to have been born on November 1, 1915, in Haiti and living in the USA, in Brooklyn.
He was the oldest person in New Jersey; now that person is Caroline McKenna, born in Hoboken and living in Wayne, born on January 3, 1915.
He was the 24th oldest living person in the USA.
He was the 103rd oldest living person in the world.
He was the last man born in 1914 to die in the USA; the last man born in 1913 was Horace Baumer, who died on December 30. 1913 at 110 years, 13 days
Of the recent years, 1910 was the year in which a person born died at an older age than him, Ezra Hill died on October 4, 2022 at 111 years, 289 days.
Among immigrants, the last year in which a person born died as the last man to die in the USA was 1904 with the Swede Conrad Johnson who died on December 23, 2014.
For the first time, New Jersey has a man who was the last person born in any given year to die in the USA. The state has had 3 women die there as the last person born in any given year, the last being Adele Dunlap, born in 1902 and died on February 5, 2017.
He is the 10th oldest person in New Jersey history, being the first person to enter the top 10 since Maria Garcia (b.ESP) who (April 29, 1908 - April 15, 2020). who died at 111 years, 352 days, being #6
There are 3 foreigners in this top 10
He is the 36th oldest man in US history, his successor Ed Martin is the 44th
He is the 121st oldest man in the history of the world, tied with
Dexter Kruger 13 Jan 1910 20 July 2021 AUS
He was the oldest living man in the US for 1 year, 168 days, the longest since Lawrence Brooks who was the oldest living man in the US from 27 Feb 2020-5 Jan 2022 (1 year, 312 days)
He died at 111 years, 188 days, the oldest living man in the US since Ezra Hill who died at 111 years, 289 days
He is the 4th man from New Jersey to be the oldest man in the US, the first since Vincent Dransfield who died on June 26 2024
He is the 166th oldest emigrant in history.
He also died at the same age as:
Grace Young F 28 Jan 1904 4 Aug 2015 USA
Madge Snelling F 18 Aug 1908 22 Feb 2020 UK CAN