When Dante Caldera turned 100, he said he liked the idea. At 100, he was still volunteering at Citrus Memorial Hospital, in the same-day surgery department, greeting patients. “I don’t think of myself as old,” he told the Chronicle on his 100th birthday, March 23, 2016. “Age is just a number. From the hips down I feel 150. From the hips to my shoulders I think I’m quite good. From the shoulders up, I’m dubious.” Then he added, “Mentally, I feel 45.”

“Citrus Memorial has lost one of our greatest resources,” CMH Chief Operating Officer George Mavros announced to hospital staff and volunteers Thursday, Jan. 4. “Dante Caldera, 101, has volunteered at CMH for more years than most of our staff have worked at CMH.