If you ever rode in the back seat on a long family drive, you probably played some version of the sign game. Spot a license plate from far away. Count the mile markers. Call out the next exit before anyone else.
Don Grumblatt plays a version of that game, too. His comes around once a year.
Grumblatt, a World War II veteran born in 1926, turned 100 on Tuesday, November 3. Every year since he turned 90, he has gone looking for a road sign that matches his age. For his 100th birthday, the search took him to Maryland and Route 100.
He shared his outlook on all those years with WJET, the local station in Erie, Pennsylvania.
“Just take each day at a time, don’t sweat the small stuff,” Grumblatt said.
Sound familiar? It may be the most useful birthday card a person could write.
A Bugle Before Everything Else
Music came first. Grumblatt picked up the trumpet in fifth grade and kept playing all the way through high school.
About three months after he graduated from Academy High School, he enlisted in the Navy. He served aboard the USS Stanton, and his service took him through both World War II and the Korean War. His job was sonarman, the sailor who listens for what is moving beneath the surface. In boot camp, he was also the battalion bugler.
The bugle stayed with him long after the uniform came off. He became known in his community as the local Taps bugler, playing at military funerals and at Memorial Day and Veterans Day programs. By a count published last year, he had sounded Taps at more than 2,000 military funerals.
With Veterans Day arriving on Wednesday, that is a number worth sitting with for a moment.
Cannonballs, Ballgames, and Giving Back
He swims regularly in the pool at Springhill Senior Living, where he has lived since 2017. Near the water, he likes to do cannonballs. He once threw out the ceremonial first pitch at an Erie SeaWolves game.
He has also put a great deal back into the place he calls home.
“Don’s commitment to philanthropy is amazing; he’s done so much for our community from the aquatic center to the Veterans’ Memorial Garden, just a true inspiration for many people,” said Aaron Praetzel, executive director of Springhill Senior Living.
That list also includes an outdoor recreation area. And it includes a scholarship and internship fund that helps employees of the community pursue higher education and gives students hands-on experience in senior living. At the 2025 scholarship awards, one recipient thanked him with a hug.
In a profile on the Asbury website, he kept his reason short.
“I just want to help the kids out,” he said.
Next Year’s Number
Grumblatt is already looking down the road.
“Well, I just hope I have good health for a couple more years, anyhow, so we can celebrate next year too,” he said.
If he gets his wish, the hunt starts over with a brand new number on the sign.
That back-seat sign game never really had to end. Pick a number that means something to you, and go find it.
