Community Corner

Happy 100th Birthday, Bingo Charlie!

Charlie Spann of San Lorenzo turns 100 years old this Saturday, Aug. 18.

Not many people reach triple digits in their lifetime. However Charlie Spann will be crossing this off his bucket list on Saturday.

The San Lorenzo resident of more than 60 years will turn 100 years old on Aug. 18.

Known by his friends as "Bingo Charlie," Spann is part of the , socialize and play bingo each week at the . They helped celebrate his centennial birthday on Thursday afternoon.

Find out what's happening in Castro Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

At 95 years old, Spann's wife Maude, isn't too far behind.

Charlie considers the day she "hooked" him as one of the other biggest milestones of his life.

Find out what's happening in Castro Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I just feel like we're the same," Maude said. "We've grown up together."

Maude recalls first meeting Charlie in Arizona, where a family friend was trying to set them up at a family gathering.

She was most attracted to Charlie's kindness, especially after he asked her to "take a ride and get a coke." For Charlie, it was Maude's stylish pageboy haircut.

This December, the two will celebrate 73 years of marital bliss.

Two kids, five grandkids and 11 great-grandchildren later, Charlie and Maude are still in love as ever.

"We just wanted to make each other happy, and we're still doing it," Maude said.

They consider their close-to-perfect marraige the secret to living so long.

"We never got to bed mad at eachother," Charlie said. "If we have an argument, we work it out before we close our eyes."

Like Castro Valley Patch on Facebook | Follow Castro Valley Patch on Twitter | Get Free Castro Valley Patch Newsletters


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here