Man… we lost a legend.
WWII Veteran Andrew E. Slavonic went viral a couple years ago after he revealed on his 101st birthday that his secret to a long life was a daily, ice cold Coors Light.
Every day at 4pm sharp, the Pennsylvania native pops a top on one of those beautiful silver bullets. But then he turned 102… and then he turned 103… and then 104…
We’ve been celebrating Andrew every year since he first went viral, however this past December, the great Andrew Slavonic passed away at 104 years old.
Even his obituary mentioned his love of Coors Light, and attributed his longevity to a daily cold one to:
“Andrew was retired as a stainless steel salesman with Allegheny Ludlum in Washington. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps during World War II with dreams of being a pilot.
He spent the majority of his time in the service as a nose gunner on the B-24 Liberator, flying with crews training pilots switching from 2 to 4 engine aircraft, before moving to the top turret gunner position on the B-17 Flying Fortress.
He was a member of St. John XXIII Parish, American Legion Post 613 in Finleyville, and was a 1958 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh.
His daily joy was his 4 p.m. Coors Light beer, which he attributed to his longevity.”
According to Andrew’s son Bob, he originally started drinking Coors Original before switching to Coors Light:
“In 1996, he actually started drinking regular Coors beer. He switched to Coors Light beer about 15 years ago.
I think I am the one to blame for the switch because that is all that I have been drinking for about the past 25 years.
Around 4:00 p.m. he tells me that it is 4:00 p.m., and it is time for our beer. He gets his Coors Light from the garage beer fridge and enjoys a nice cold one. The bluer the mountains are on the can, the better.”
Garage beers, man… they just hit different.
But why does Andrew drink an ice cold Coors Light every day might you ask? It’s a family tradition. Andrew’s mother lived to be 98 and she drank a beer every day as well, in fact more than one.
“She drank a couple of beers every day. They actually put a beer in her casket. She had her favorite beer mug and she carried that with her all day long.”
You hear that people? All you Crossfit folks with your $19 paleo nut butters and your $5,000 Peloton bikes and your $16 dollar cold-pressed kale juices with an extra splash of spirulina… all you need is a cold Coors Light once a day.
So, here’s to the great Andrew Slavonic… the man who helped us all believe that a daily, 4pm, ice cold, Coors Light was both the key to happiness and a long life.
Gonna drink myself a nice Coors Light tonight in Andrew’s honor.
RIP King.
