This year Ypsilanti will be holding its 96th annual 4th of July parade, and one of Ypsilanti’s oldest residents, Gordon Cahours, will be riding in Michigan's longest-running independence day parade.
Cahours is 106 years old and has lived in Ypsilanti since he was just a 1 year old. His wife, Virgina, now deceased, also grew up in Ypsilanti; they started dating in 1939. When World War II started, he was a college student, and in 1940 he became a marine.
In 1945, while Cahours’ vessel was being repaired, he came back and married Virgina. He went back to sea for a year before coming back home to Ypsilanti in 1947. He purchased a plot of land and hired contractors to build a house for him and his wife to live in. Along with designing the home, he also helped in the construction. He and Virginia moved into the house in 1948, and he as resided there ever since.
When he came back from the war, Cahours finished his education at Eastern Michigan University, named Michigan State Normal College at the time. He earned a master’s degree in education, planning on teaching secondary education.
For the next 33 years, Cahours worked at different schools in the area teaching economics and drivers education. He also worked at Ford Motor Company for a few years before going back to teaching. He ended up as principal of Shelters Elementary School in Southgate Michigan: his last job before retiring in 1980.
As Cahours and his wife never had any children, he faced a choice of moving into a retirement home or receiving in-home assistance. He chose to stay in the house he built with a nurse that comes to visit and check in on him daily.
Cahours said the secret to living so long is a combination of good genes from his parents and a whole lot of luck.
This year, Ypsilanti is the lucky one, getting to experience Cahours' mighty parade cruise. The parade’s co-chairperson, and former mayor of Ypsilanti, Cheryl Farmer, has known Cahours for many years and asked him to be in the parade.
Farmer treated Cahours' wife and got to know him when they came in for appointments. Throughout those years, Farmer listened to Cahours' stories and they became friends, she said. After having WWII vets in the parade and them having a blast, Farmer said she thought of Cahours.
"He's 106. We should be celebrating that," Farmer said.
From Pure Michigan, Ypsilanti is one of the older cities in Michigan, first set up as a trading post in 1809. Farmer said it is important for the community to be reminded of all its rich history; part of that is the people who have been around for a long time and seen Ypsilanti evolve.
"There's so much respect for the elderly in other cultures, not so much in ours though, and there should be because these people have been such a valuable part of the community for so many years," Farmer said.
Cahours said he remembers going to the 4th of July parades when he was a child. In fact, this year will not be his first time participating. He was a boy scout in his youth and would walk the parade with his troop. This year, if he feels well enough on that day, he will be riding in a convertible and waving to the crowd, hopefully not alone.
Farmer and Cahours are hoping to find more centenarians — anyone who has reached the age of 100 or older — who live in Ypsilanti to ride along with him. Anyone who is interested in being in the 96th annual parade can email Farmer at mayorsis@provider.net.
Cahours said that no matter how divided the country is currently, it’s important that we look at how far we’ve come.
“In my lifetime we couldn’t dream of sending a man to the moon; now we have vehicles on Mars,” Cahours said.
While there may be struggles, there have also been accomplishments, such as building a unique form of government.
“We’ve been at it for 250 years, for good or bad," Cahours said.
For anyone who would like to see the parade, it will be held Saturday, July 4, 2026, at 11 a.m. The route proceeds down West Cross Street from Oakwood Street to Rice Street.
