Last witness of 1906 San Francisco earthquake dies

William A “Bill” Del Monte was 11 days shy of his 110th birthday. His niece Janette Barroca of San Francisco confirmed his death of natural causes. He’d been doing “great for 109 years old,”  Barroca said on Monday. 

Del Monte was just three months old when the quake struck, forcing his family into the streets to escape in an open horse-drawn carriage with fire burning on both sides, Barroca said. Del Monte went on make millions in the stock market and lived a rich life, said his family.