Anthony Mancinelli Still Works 40 Hours A Week Cutting Hair At A Barbershop — Even Though He’s 107-Years-Old

Anthony Mancinelli has had plenty of time to hone his craft as a barber — nearly a century, to be exact.

The 107-year-old man started working as a barber when he was 11-years-old, and still works 40 hours a week at a small barbershop in his home about an hour north of New York City. Mancinelli, who was featured this week in the New York Times for his amazing longevity and his vibrancy at an age when most people — if they’re still among the living — have been retired for at least four decades or more.

Mancinelli was already honored by Guinness World Records for being the world’s oldest barber back in 2007, and has now worked another decade after the honor. The owner of the barbershop, Jane Dinezza, said patrons are shocked to learn Mancinelli’s age.

While Anthony Mancinelli may be the outlier among outliers, he is among a growing group of Americans working well beyond retirement age. Nearly 20 percent of the entire workforce is now over the age of 65 and there is a push for employees to add more older workers, a report from NBC Dallas Fort Worth noted.

“Right now, for the first time there are five generations in the workforce. Actually makes the workplace more efficient, more productive and it lowers absenteeism,” said AARP’s Susan Weinstock.

That is certainly the case with Anthony Mancinelli. And even at 107, he’s still the best barber in the shop and is one of the most reliable employees, Dinezza said.

“He never calls in sick,” she said. “I have young people with knee and back problems, but he just keeps going. He can do more haircuts than a 20-year-old kid. They’re sitting there looking at their phones, texting or whatever, and he’s working.”

Dinezza noted that Mancinelli has a good touch with the older patrons as well, helping 80-year-olds gently into the seat and sharing some of the wisdom he’s gleaned in nearly 12 decades of life. Mancinelli has seen plenty of changes from behind the barber chair, including two World Wars and 17 different presidents. When he first started cutting hair, Warren G. Harding was in the White House and radio was still in its infancy.

Anthony Mancinelli, 107, is the world’s oldest barber. And he’s still cutting hair full time —> https://t.co/b8rzISKrPj

— Jason Fried (@jasonfried) October 13, 2018

Anthony Mancinelli said he has a very personal motivation to keep working. The barbershop helps him stay busy after the death of his wife, Carmella, 14 years ago. Mancinelli said he visits her grave every day before going to work.