NORTH BALTIMORE, Ohio, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- J. Russell Coffey, one of the last three known World War I veterans in the United States, has died at a nursing home in North Baltimore, Ohio, at 109.
Coffey, thought to be the last World War I veteran in Ohio and the oldest veteran of the conflict in the United States, enlisted in the Army when he was 20 years old in 1918, shortly before the armistice was signed, the Lancaster (Ohio) Courier reported Friday.
He was stationed inside the United States for about three months before he was honorably discharged.
Coffey received his bachelor's and master's degrees in education from Ohio State University and later obtained a doctorate from New York University. He spent decades teaching at various colleges and public schools.
The veteran remained active after his retirement -- he continued to drive until he was 103.
Coffey's wife of 62 years, Bernice Roseborough, died in 1983. He is survived by a son-in-law, Jorgen Faldt-Larsen, a nephew and great nieces and nephews.
