100-Year-Old Man Found Joy in Painting in His 80s. His ‘Favorite’ Art Honors Late Wife of 73 Years

Jerry Stephenson didn’t pick up a paintbrush until he was 85 — and now, at 100, he’s filled his assisted-living apartment with canvases, memories, and a steady curiosity for what comes next.

Stephenson, who turned 100 on Tuesday, Nov. 18, has turned his home at Kansas’ Santa Marta Retirement Community into a working art studio, according to NBC affiliate KSHB and Fox affiliate WFTX. He and his wife moved to the Olathe community in 2010. Not long after arriving, another resident encouraged him to try painting. That simple suggestion opened a door he hadn’t known existed.

Even so, Stephenson says he doesn’t regret starting late. He told KSHB that he’s happy with his “life’s history” exactly as it unfolded — and grateful he’s still discovering parts of himself a century in. “I had no idea I had such talent and ability,” he said. “It goes to show we have unknown capability. It’s never too late to try something new.”

Much of Stephenson’s work comes from memory. He paints scenes pulled from years of world travel, WFTX reported, including moments from pheasant hunts and even riding an elephant in India during his World War II service. His imagination hasn’t slowed, either: he hopes to add an aquarium to his apartment someday so he can paint the life inside it, too.

One presence shows up again and again in his art — his late wife, Mary Ellen, who died in 2021. The couple shared 73 years of marriage, and Stephenson says she remains his favorite muse. “My wife Mary Ellen loved irises, so I paint those the most,” he told KSHB. “She’s still with me in every brushstroke.” He keeps a framed sketch of her nearby and smiles whenever he passes it.

Stephenson recently told KSHB he planned to celebrate his 100th birthday surrounded by family — four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren — along with the Santa Marta staff, neighbors, and a growing circle of admirers who’ve come to love his work.

In an August Facebook post, Santa Marta called his creative journey “a beautiful reminder of the joy and purpose that can be found in every season of life.” Stephenson agrees. “I didn’t know I could do this until I tried,” he said, according to KSHB. “A lot of people have hidden abilities, they just don’t give themselves the chance. It’s never too late to surprise yourself.”