'He's invincible': Nixa centenarian and World War II vet survives fall from 14-foot ladder

Lying on a hospital bed with fractures throughout his body, George Beden was told by doctors that he should stifle any urge to resume the usual maintenance of his Nixa home.

Beden's neck, ribs, collarbone and hands absorbed much of the trauma when he recently fell 14 feet from an extension ladder while nailing loose shingles to his roof. He has been advised to wait months until he reaches for his tools again.

It's sound advice, considering Beden is a 100-year-old World War II veteran who prides himself on tackling many of the same physical activities he did at 40.

The centenarian knows that his fate could have been — and probably should have been — much worse.

"When you get old, you get stupid," joked Beden, who was discharged from the hospital a day after the fall.

When doctors handed Beden a cane to take home, according to son-in-law Jim Richardson, he twirled it around, placed it under his arm and asked, "What do I need this for?"

"He's invincible," said his daughter, Carleen Richardson. "God is good to him. That's all there is to it."

While the injury alarmed much of Beden's large family because of his age, they weren't surprised by his resolve.

"It could have been much worse," Beden said. "I've survived a lot. This was the fifth time I've fallen from a ladder in my life, and every time I do, I've been lucky enough to have someone nearby. If I didn't this time, I wouldn't be here today."

Beden's wife was gardening nearby when he fell. Both make it a point to be outside and active. Their property has a machine shop and wood shop. When he isn't mowing his own lawn, he's mowing someone else's.

He is currently in a neck brace and plans to get back outside as soon as his body allows, hopefully by the time his great-grandson moves from North Carolina to Branson to attend College of the Ozarks in August. Beden turns 101 in August. Last year, five generations of relatives came to the Ozarks to celebrate Beden reaching the triple-digit mark.

A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Beden fought in World War II with tours of duty in Japan. He went on to publish a 16-page paper titled "As I Remember" about living through the Great Depression and the war.

Though much of his younger days were spent in the air, his family said he didn't parachute out of a plane until the age of 89 for a golden years thrill.

"Growing up, he told his children that you can see the cup as half-empty or half-full," Carleen Richardson said. "He continues to live half-full."

Ryan Collingwood covers a wide range of topics for the News-Leader with an emphasis on public safety. He can be reached by phone at 417-258-8174 and email at rcollingwood@news-leader.com. You can also follow Ryan on social media at X.com/rwcollingwood

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Nixa centenarian, WWII veteran survives fall from 14-foot ladder