WINDHAM – Clista Loring, a 104-year-old resident of Ledgewood Manor in North Windham, was awarded the Boston Post Cane on Wednesday afternoon.

Linda Morrell, Windham’s town clerk, presented the cane to Loring, who was surrounded by friends and family members, in the activities room of the North Windham nursing home.

“I think it’s a wonderful thing,” Loring said of the honor bestowed on the town’s oldest resident, before joking, “But I don’t really like to advertise my age.”

Loring, who will turn 105 on Jan. 20 and is predeceased by nine sisters and four brothers, also said, “I feel better than ever” as she ate a piece of celebration cake and drank a Dixie cup filled with soda.

Loring was born in Chesterville, Conn., and lived in Portland as well as Windham. In her younger years, she worked as a waitress at Maine General Hospital/Maine Medical Center.

After her husband, Ralph, died in 1990 after 61 years of marriage, she lived on her own until the age of 95 with her two cats, Rusty and Randy. She has lived at Ledgewood for the last seven years.

The passing of the cane, which is meant to honor the oldest person in town, took a circuitous route this summer as Morrell had difficulty locating the oldest resident. After the former holder, Winifred “Dolly” Ingalls, died in July, Morrell was scheduled to hand the historic cane to Ruth Grant in August but the 100-year-old Grant died just before the ceremony.

The cane that Loring has received is a replica, Morrell said, with the original safe in a display case at Windham Town Hall. The original mahogany cane with silver handgrip was among 431 distributed by the former Boston Post newspaper in 1909. While Windham still has the original, many towns have lost the cane.

Windham Town Clerk Linda Morrell presents Clista Loring the Boston Post Cane at a ceremony Wednesday afternoon. Staff photo by John Balentine