It’s taken him a century to do it.

All these years later, a Lehighton man has reached the century mark.

Much to the delight of him and his family, Edward Francis Bair turned 100 years old today.

Reached by telephone Tuesday afternoon, Bair was clearly excited to hit the milestone.

“Tomorrow’s my big birthday,” Bair said. “That’s going to be a big fat 100.”

Bair, who was born in Lehighton, currently lives with his daughter, Lori, wife of Jim Flaim, in Delano.

He has three grandchildren, as well as two stepgrandchildren.

Bair was predeceased by his wife, Esther, whom he was married to for 55 years.

Lori said her father can now stake claim to something no one else in his family can.

“He’s breaking the record in his family,” Lori said. “He had several that came very close to hitting 100, but didn’t actually reach it.”

Lori said her father has lived a relatively normal lifestyle.

“People have asked him if he attributes anything in particular to living this long,” she said. “He was never really sedentary, (though) not active to the point of where we are today.”

Nonetheless, Bair stayed active, Lori said.

“He climbed a lot of telephone poles in his life,” she said. “And he rode a motorcycle until he was 98, and he was golfing that year, too.”

Lori said her father worked at the Lehigh Valley Railroad, and then following the attack on Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the Navy, where he served from 1942-1946.

He then came back to the LV Railroad, and in 1951 started working with Bell telephone, where he retired in 1982 after 31 years.

Bair’s interests include riding motorcycle, playing golf, gardening and spending time with his grandchildren.

He is a member of Zion Reform Church, Lehighton.

Bair said he’s proud, if not somewhat shocked, by the accomplishment.

“I’m very happy,” he said. “And surprised to realize that I am going to hit the 100 mark.”