Dec 25, 2014 1 min read

ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) – A northern Illinois resident recognized as the oldest man in the U.S. died at 110.

The Rockford Register Star reported C. Conrad Johnson died Tuesday. The director of the funeral home handling Johnson’s arrangements also confirmed his death.

The Swedish-born Johnson worked as a carpenter and lived in Rockford most of his life.

On his 109th birthday, he told the Register Star, “I feel good and I haven’t been sick for a long, long time.” But he suffered a stroke a few months later.

The Rev. Jane McChesney of Tabor Lutheran Church knew Johnson. She described him as smart, good-humored, “a self-made man” and “very giving.”

Senior database administrator for the national Gerontology Research Group, Robert Young, said Johnson was the oldest verified American man. Several women are older.