ROBERTA MCCAIN

A Woman of Grace and Influence

Roberta McCain was The American Centenarian.

She lived to the incredible age of 108.

Roberta was a true American original and a testament to the enduring human spirit.

Roberta was the mother of the late Senator John McCain; she was a force to be reckoned with in her own right.

Born in 1912, two month before the Titanic sank; Roberta lived through a century of change and adventure, witnessing firsthand the transformations that shaped the world.

Cindy McCain tells us family experience. Roberta married a Navy officer, John S. McCain Jr., and together they navigated a life of service and travel, raising a family amidst the backdrop of a changing world. Roberta's spirit of adventure was infectious; she embraced every opportunity to explore, from road trips across continents indulging her passion for art and culture. It was Roberta who packed up and moved the family from base to base. While traveling cross-country trips she took to look in sites of cultural or natural significance.

Roberta McCain was the life of the party. She had this energy about her, this zest for life that just drew people in. It didn't matter if you were a Navy wife, a senator, or just someone she met on her travels, Roberta made you feel like you were the most important person in the room.

Her home was always open, always full of laughter and good conversation. She loved to host parties and get-togethers. She was always the first one on the dance floor.

Even when she got older, Roberta never slowed down. She was still traveling the world, still making new friends, still living life to the fullest. She and her twin sister, Rowena, were quite the pair. They were always up for an adventure, and they always had a story to tell.

In her later years, Roberta's vivacity remained undiminished. She continued to travel well into her 90s, often driving herself across the US and Europe, a testament to her independent spirit and unwavering zest for life.

Senator John McCain loved recalling how a rental car agency in Paris refused to rent Roberta a car because she was too old. So, she bought her own car to drive in Europe.

Some years later, she had the car shipped to the States, and drove it alone cross-country to Los Angeles one Christmas. A state trooper pulled her over outside Flagstaff having clocked her doing 110 mph.

Her energy and enthusiasm were an inspiration to everyone around her - a reminder that age is no barrier to living life to the fullest.

For her 100th birthday in 2012, she had a small party at the Capitol Hill Club. A few weeks after her 100th birthday, Roberta McCain suffered a mild stroke. McCain's centenary was noted in a number of periodicals in the United States, including an article by Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Ken Herman. She was featured in Town & Country magazine later that year.

In September 2013, Greta Van Susteren wrote about McCain in an essay that was featured by Politico during their "Women Rule" series. 35 In September 2013, McCain and her parlor were featured in an article in the peer-reviewed academic journal, the Journal of Urban History.

Roberta was more than just a social butterfly, though. She was a true friend, a loyal confidante, and a woman who knew how to make you feel special.

Roberta's influence on her son Senator John McCain was profound. She instilled in him a deep sense of duty, honor, and service to country, values that shaped his character and guided his path in life.

Roberta's legacy extends far beyond her role as a mother. She was a woman of remarkable resilience. She was a resilient whirlwind of life, a role model who exemplified the power of living life on one's own terms.