Roy Drinkard spent 106 years watching the world change — from the Great Depression and World War II to the rise of artificial intelligence and social media.

But to the people who knew him best, Drinkard’s legacy was less about how long he lived and more about how he spent those years.

The Cullman businessman, World War II veteran and longtime community leader died Sunday at 106 years old. At the time of his death, he was recognized as the nation’s oldest living U.S. Marine.

Drinkard was born in Falkville in 1920 and attended St. Bernard Preparatory School in Cullman before joining the Marine Corps. He served during World War II and later returned to North Alabama, where he built a career in business.

For Troy University Chancellor Jack Hawkins, Drinkard’s military service was only one part of what made him remarkable.

In 2009, Hawkins accompanied Drinkard to the Marine Corps birthday ball at Parris Island, South Carolina. Drinkard had returned to the same base where he went through boot camp in 1943.

As the oldest living Marine, Drinkard received the first slice of birthday cake. When they entered the ballroom, Hawkins said Drinkard noticed a large sign welcoming him.

“He looked at me and he said very seriously, ‘That’s a lot different welcome than I had the first time I came here,'” Hawkins said.

Drinkard’s relationship with Troy University lasted more than two decades. He was appointed to the university’s Board of Trustees in 2000 and served on the board for more than 25 years.

Hawkins said Drinkard’s influence at Troy went beyond his role as a trustee.

“He believed in relationships and people,” Hawkins said. “His values were deep faith, family and freedom. He loved this country.”

After the war, Drinkard launched Drinkard Chevrolet and later built Drinkard Development into a major Southeast real estate company.

His grandson-in-law, Jason Grimmett, said one of the things that stood out about Drinkard was his ability to adapt to a changing world.

“To hear him talk about the transitions of life, from going through the Depression to the war to telephones, cars, email,” Grimmett said. “He made a Facebook account three or four years ago. Just the things that he had seen in life and been able to transition into is just amazing.”

Grimmett also remembers Drinkard’s sharp negotiating skills. During one business deal with Walmart, the negotiations were not going well. Drinkard decided to change the mood by eating hot jalapeno peppers in front of the company’s lawyers.

“He just started eating very hot jalapeno peppers in front of the Walmart lawyers,” Grimmett said. “And they totally lost focus.”

The lawyers began offering Drinkard water and talking about the peppers, Grimmett said, shifting the focus of the meeting.

“And the whole negotiation changed,” he said.

That sense of humor carried into Drinkard’s family life. His great-grandson, Julius Boggus, remembers getting into plenty of mischief with him, including covering someone’s house in toilet paper and one morning when they disappeared for a breakfast adventure that left his grandmother worried.

“We would just have so much fun and different adventures,” Boggus said. “One time we scared his daughter, my grandmother, half to death because we kind of disappeared one morning and she found us at Waffle House.”

Drinkard’s advice for living a long life was simple, and his family remembers it well.

“He would tell you eating jalapeno peppers and hard work,” Grimmett said.

Drinkard’s great-grandson, Roy Grimmett, remembers another piece of advice that stayed with him.

“Growing up, he always told me bananas,” Roy Grimmett said. “And that if you worked every day, then you’re always going to keep on going because you have no time to rest.”

After 106 years, Drinkard leaves his family with more than memories. They say his lessons about hard work, adaptability and enjoying life will continue through the generations.

Funeral arrangements for Drinkard have not yet been announced, but his family says the ceremony will be open to the public.