Arnerich was born and raised in Los Gatos, so attached to his hometown he never left. In fact, when hospitalized for pneumonia recently while visiting family in Nevada City, he insisted on returning home to a local hospital via car—not ambulance—to recover.

"He's pretty stubborn," says grandson Jason Risdal, "and takes pride in caring for himself."

Arnerich attended elementary and high school in Los Gatos, never graduating, though, as he dropped out to support the family when his father was killed in an auto accident when he was just 14.

He worked at various mechanical jobs until going to work for Elliott's Nursery.

He met his wife, Bernice, when she was just 8, and they eventually married in San Jose at the Cathedral Basilica of St Joseph in 1932 and started their family of two girls.

In 1936 he opened Paul's Lunch on Santa Cruz Avenue. He was a yardmaster for Hendy Iron Works (now Westinghouse) during the war and had 300 employees under his direction. He landed a job with the Los Gatos Police Department in 1944. He then opened the Manhattan Bar & Park Café. It was sold in 1953, and he returned to the work he loved most, at the sheriff's office.

He has lived in the same home for 64 years. The family home on University Avenue sees a constant stream of visitors, family and friends. After living 95 years in one town, Arnerich pretty much knows everyone who's been around for any length of time. While many fret about Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner for 13, the Arnerich family routinely hosted that many every week for Sunday dinner. Anyone was welcome and food was plentiful, prepared by Arnerich himself.

Croatians share a culture and palate similar to those of Italians—family first, good food and plenty of it. "If you ever left hungry at our house, it was your own darn fault," says Risdal.

Pasta was just a side dish—there were always six or seven courses. Lamb was a favorite and roasted on a spit.

The family originally had eight acres of prunes on Montgomery Street when there were only three houses between Saratoga Avenue and Blossom Hill Road. Streetcars transported students to school in Los Gatos from the surrounding communities of Saratoga and Willow Glen.

Arnerich's father came from Croatia and settled in Los Gatos in 1901. Paul's English was limited when he started school, even though he was born here. His mother's family lived in Oakland, where his parents were married in 1906; their honeymoon consisted of a horse and buggy trip back to Los Gatos.

During his childhood, water was pumped by hand from a well, and kerosene lamps were used for lighting. A wood stove provided warmth.

The Arnerichs' daughter Mary was born during the Golden Jubilee celebration of Los Gatos, hence the nickname Jubie, which has stuck to this day. Another daughter, Doris, came later.

Los Gatos was far different from the town it is today—more of a blue-collar community with a lot of farming and cannery workers, Arnerich recalls.

The Slavic community was tightly knit, and everyone would join in to help one another. There was plenty of fun together, too—bocce ball, square dancing, softball games or taking a train ride over to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk for picnics, the thrill of a roller-coaster ride and dancing in the evening.

Christmas was a large celebration in the Croatian community—a buffet of prosciutto, fish and oysters by the sackful. On Christmas day the men made the "rounds," going from home to home visiting and eating while the women stayed home entertaining. Arnerich has continued this tradition.

Of course, there wasn't much crime—occasionally, a few rowdy drunks—so one of the primary jobs of the police department was to check all the doors of businesses to make sure they were all locked. There were no two-way radios. Instead, a red light burning on the transmitter pole meant go to the nearest phone and call in.

Arnerich was a member of the all-volunteer fire department; a bell would ring in town to alert the crew to a fire. How many times a bell rang gave the location of the fire. A list on the wall showed where to go.

Every town needs someone like Arnerich who has lived through history. He was even present at San Jose's infamous lynching of the suspects in the Hart kidnapping and murder by a mob that stormed city jail as outlined in the book Swift Justice.

"Days before, there was a lot of rumpus going on, people talking and saying what they were going to do," explains Arnerich about how he happened to be there with his brother-in-law.

He remembers that the site where Double D's is now located used to be the Los Gatos Cemetery until everyone was moved to the present location. "There was one tombstone I'd see on the corner every time I walked by and it said 'Willy has gone to God,' " he chuckles.

He worked out three times a week at the Los Gatos Athletic Club until becoming ill, and while hospitalized he managed to keep in shape by using a bar above his bed to pull himself up. As testimony to the family's gene pool, his sister, younger by 11 months, is also still alive.

He is an avid gardener—his family claims Arnerich can bring a dying plant back to life. A vibrant personality with a sense of humor, when asked by a reporter once, "What is the secret to a long life?" he replied, "Don't die."