Centenarians (Cont'd.)
Jeanne Louise Calment
As reported on CNN Headline News on Monday morning August 4, 1997 at 7:22 AM PST, Ms. Jeanne Calment , the world's oldest documented member of the human race, passed away at the age of 122 years days.
Dateline: PARIS (August 4, 1997; 07:04 AM EDT) -- Jeanne Calment, believed to be the world's oldest person, died Monday in Arles, France. Sources close to the Arles city hall, who confirmed Calment's death, gave no precise cause. Calment had spent the past 12 years in a retirement home. Confined to a wheel chair, she was blind and nearly deaf, but remained spirited and mentally sharp until the end. Calment had no direct descendants, having survived her husband, her daughter, and her grandson! She claimed that an occasional glass of Port wine along with a diet rich in olive oil-- were the keys to her longevity.
See p. A18 of The Los Angeles Times (Tuesday, August 5, 1997) or p. C21 of The New York Times (Tuesday, August 5, 1997) for more details.
Her obituary can be found at the
Detroit News .
Note: I recently learned from Prof. Caleb Finch of USC that, although Karen Ritchie is an Australian woman, she was once married to French Demographer Dr. Jean-Marie Robine and that explains, to some extent, how this paper came to be written.
Considerably more information about Jeanne Louise Calment can be found at the Aeiveos website. Some additional information can also be found at Web Pointers .
We have been asked by some of our members whether Jeanne Calment's relatives were also long-lived. Indeed, studies found that her ancestors were longer-lived than the average life expectancy, going back centuries... For example, her Brother lived to 97; her Father was 93/94 and her Mother was 86. However, her Daughter (by her marriage to a second cousin; so, many of the progeny had the same genes) was always sickly, and she died in her 30's.
An official (auto)biography can be found in
Michel Allard, Victor Lebre, Jean-Marie Robine, Jeanne Calment, and Beth Coupland
Jeanne Calment: From Van Gogh's Time to Ours: 122 Extraordinary Years ( ISBN:
0716732513; 136 pages; W.H. Freeman & Company; New York; 1998) $11.23 on
amazon.com.
Dr. Robine, one of the co-authors, is a well-known French Demographer and a long-time
member of our International Supercentenarian Committee.
So, Who is Next Oldest Living Person?
Mrs. Marie-Louise Fébronie Meilleur-Chassé of Corbeil, Canada, 250 miles north of Toronto, was next in line to receive the honor of the world's oldest living person by The Guinness Book of World Records. She was born in Kamouraska, Quebec on August 29, 1880. Meilleur reached the age of 117. She had ten children from two marriages, only four of whom are still living. Meilleur made headlines when she tried to find a wife for her son, who was then 81 years old. Ann Landers' column caller her "Mother of the Year" for that project. Meilleur had 85 grandchildren, 80 great-grandchildren, 57 great-great-grandchildren, and 4 Great-Great-Great Grandchildren. "Hard work could never kill a person," she said.
Madam Meilleur passed away on Thursday, April 16, 1998 diagnosed with a blood
clot to the lungs. It was never clear that Mrs. Meilleur realized that she had been designated the
world's oldest person, since she was nearly blind and deaf and did not communicate well.
Although she was one year older, another candidate, Mrs. Felicia Young Cormier of Crowley, Louisiana, lacked the official birth certificate to prove she was the world's oldest person. In any event Mrs. Cormier died at age 118 one day before Mrs. Meilleur on April 15, 1998.
The Guinness Book of Records has now officially passed the mantle of "oldest
living woman" to Mrs. Sarah DeRemer Knauss-Clark of Allentown,
Pennsylvania, who was born September 24, 1880 and was 26 days younger than Mrs. Meilleur.
She married a well-known Lehigh County Republican leader in 1901. She moved to a nursing
home in Allentown eight years ago. She can often be found watching golf on television or doing
needlepoint. Her passions are milk chocolate turtles, cashews, and potato chips. Her 95-year-old
daughter said "Nothing fazes her, and that's why she's been living so long."
As of now, the world's oldest living person is Sarah Knauss [in the center of the picture].
On September 24, 1999, she celebrated her 119th birthday at a nursing home in Allentown, Pennsylvania with her 95-year-old daughter Kathryn ("Kitty").
At her last birthday at age 118, she is shown with some friends and preschoolers. This photograph shows her thanking the kids, as they give her a huge birthday card.
Source: Chinese Daily News; Monterey Park, California, p. A4 (September 25, 1998). Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Edward Sharman esharman@earthlink.net for the photo and caption.
A recent article about Mrs. Knauss is
mcall.com/cgi-bin/slwebsto.cgi?DBLIST=mc99&DOCNUM=1040
which concerns her reaction to the recent LIFE Magazine portrait of her and a brief story on her six-generation family.
Other articles in approximately reverse chronological order include:
mcall.com/cgi-bin/slwebsto.cgi?DBLIST=cur&DOCNUM=97801
Unveiling of a portrait in March 1999.
http://www.mcall.com/cgi-bin/slwebsto.cgi?DBLIST=mid&DOCNUM=333986
115th birthday, with some biographical data not repeated in later stories.
http://www.mcall.com/cgi-bin/slwebsto.cgi?DBLIST=old&DOCNUM=640806
A profile when she was only 106.
htt p://www.mcall.com/cgi-bin/slwebsto.cgi?DBLIST=mc98&DOCNUM=43816
A reaction to John Glenn's space flight, the first she ever watched: disinterest.
mcall.com/cgi-bin/slwebsto.cgi?DBLIST=mc98&DOCNUM=39041
Her 118th birthday party, presentation of a book from Guinness...
Unfortunately, the book she got at her 118th has a picture of her 117th, incorrectly described as her 119th.
mcall.com/cgi-bin/slwebsto.cgi?DBLIST=mc98&DOCNUM=15642
Guinness certification as "oldest living" on the death of Meilleur.
htt p://www.mcall.com/cgi-bin/slwebsto.cgi?DBLIST=mc97&DOCNUM=40244
Her 117th birthday.
mcall.com/cgi-bin/slwebsto.cgi?DBLIST=mc97&DOCNUM=34480
Recognized as the oldest living person in the USA, 2nd oldest in world, on the death of Jeanne Calment.
Mrs. Knauss is reported to have said, "I enjoy longevity because I have my health and I can do
things."
mcall.com/cgi-bin/slwebsto.cgi?DBLIST=mc97&DOCNUM=33731
Documentation sent to Guinness after the death of Calment.
The oldest living man in the world was believed to be Mr. Christian Mortensen of San Rafael, California, at age 115. Although he claimed to have been born in Denmark on August 16, 1882, to our knowledge, this assertion was never recognized by the Guinness authorities in London, pending verification of appropriate documents.
See John R. Wilmoth's website of the Center for the Economics and Demography of Aging at UC Berkeley (2232 Piedmont Avenue; Berkeley, CA 94720-2120; 510-642-9688; E-mail: jrw@demog.berkeley.edu) for more details. Prof. Wilmoth writes that we should consult his paper "The Oldest Man Ever? A Case Study of Exceptional Longevity," The Gerontologist, Vol. 36, No. 6, pp. 783-788 (1996). This paper discusses his verification of Mr. Mortensen's age, and his reasons for believing that the cases of Messrs. Izumi and Jubert are probably mistaken. He also mentions the case of Mr. Evans, which seems authentic, even if the verification process was less extensive than that for Mr. Mortensen.
UPDATE: We recently learned that Mr. Mortensen passed away on April 25, 1998.
January 11, 2002; See Prof. John Wilmoth's Berkeley Mortality Database for data enumerating not only death rates but births, life expectancies, and population sizes for the following four countries: USA, SWEDEN, FRANCE, and JAPAN. The SWEDISH data begins in 1749, while the US data starts in 1900, and JAPAN's in 1950. You can view the data in several ways, such as by one-year or ten-year intervals or in a life table showing numbers of deaths and death rates in each age group.
Thus, our next question is who now is the successor to the title of "The world's oldest man"?
If any of our GRG visitors knows of a candidate, we hope that you will do us the favor of contacting us.
In a reply to the above question, Mr. Louis Epstein wrote on February 3, 1999 that Mr. Herbert Young of Harlem, New York and Legion of Honor recipient is our new record holder at age 112. Louis asks whether any of our viewers can verify this fact with evidence to support their claim. Please E-mail us or him at le@put.com.
Subsequently, Louis wrote that "Mr. Young passed away on Thursday; April 22, 1999 at the age of 112 years 11 months." Then, he said, "I am not aware of any other rival to Mr. Denzo Ishisaki of Japan as the newest oldest-living-man (presently at 112 years), but of course he has years to go before he exceeds Mr. Mortensen or the claim Guinness accepts for Mr. Izumi."
Still later Louis wrote that "Denzo Ishisake died on April 29, 1999. He was five months yonger than Mr. Young (who made it to within two weeks of 113). If this is correct, he was the oldest man alive for just one week! "
January 5, 2001; Mrs. Kamato Hongo's local newspaper ( The Southern Japan
Daily News) has provided us with a photo, subject to the condition that it be used for
educational purposes only.
September 14, 2001; Mr. Robert Young has located another photo of her at age 114.
September 16, 2003; Mrs. Hongo is now the oldest living person in the world, at 116 years.
November 30, 2002; An Australian reporter did a detailed, in-depth report on Kamato Hongo for
the Sydney Morning Herald. Mentioned were some previously unknown facts, such as
she was born on Amamioshima Island, her husband died in 1964, and her present
unique sleep cycle was a result of an operation at age 110. Also of note, she seems to have
slipped a little since March (her hearing and understanding are not quite as good; she has cut
back on the alcohol) but the photo shows someone who still has a strong constitution. Click on
her photo for the latest update...
October 31, 2003; We are sad to report that Mrs. Hongo died this morning (Friday) in a local hospital of pneumonia at age 116 years, 45 days. The BBC News website carries a brief Obituary.
October 22, 2002; Mr. Young has now sent us a photo of
Mrs. Toyo Endo, 110, of Japan (born February 13, 1892). She was Japan's 14th-oldest
person as of September 2002, one of at least 18 aged 110 years and older. Pictured with Mrs.
Endo is her grand-daughter-in-law, Nobuko Endo, 53. Mrs. Endo's son is 87 years old, and her
grandson (Nobuko's husband) is 55. This is an example of the increasing number of
multi-generational families.
Mr. Young has also located a photo of
Mrs. Anna
Lidia (Marty) Balsiger was born on February 11, 1889 in Wisconsin and died on September
14, 2001 at age 112 years, 215 days.
Mr. Robert D. Young, an active researcher in the field of Supercentenarians (individuals who have attained the age of 110 or more), informed us on July 6, 1999 that Mr. Jessie Champion of Jonesboro, Georgia is nearing 112. He was featured on the TV Program 20/20 with Hugh Downs in 1994. Mr. Champion was born on August 15, 1887.
[ Editor's Note: We have just learned that Mr. Champion passed away on January 12, 2000.] Mr. Champion was part of Dr. Leonard Poon's Georgia Centenarian Study from the
University of Georgia, which is second only to Dr. Thomas Perl's New England Centenarian
Study in scope and reputation. The oldest member of Dr. Poon's study is Ms. Estella
Jones-Thone of Waynesboro, Georgia. She was born November 10, 1881 and is now 117.
Although she doesn't have a birth certificate (she was the daughter of slaves), they have Federal
and nursing-home records, family bibles, and confirmation by relatives. A full-page, front-page
story appeared in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on March 1, 1998.
[Editor's Note: We have now learned that Mrs. Estella Jones passed away on June 27, 1999
at 117 years 229 days.]
However, when birth certificate documentation is not fully rigorous, researchers should be
suspicious, since there have been plenty of fraudulent or exaggerated claims.
As one
example, according to Mr. Young, Augusta Watts was allegedly born on August 15,
1876. But when he called the Magnolia Terrace Nursing Home in Pensacola, Florida to verify
this date, he learned that officials now believe that she is only in her 80's. Her daughter is known
to be in her 40's, and the presumed birthdate is more likely to be that of her Mother. This
represents an exaggeration of 40 years! Mrs. Augusta Watts died on July 9, 2001 at the alleged
age of 124 years.
Mr. Young pleads for readers to provide him with information on this or any related subjects. Contact him at robertdouglasyoung@yahoo.com .
We recently received a photograph from Ms. Araneen Witmer of Ramona, California of Mr.
Shigechiyo Izumi of Japan surrounded by children. He died in February 1986 at the age 120 and
was the oldest living person until he was surpassed by Madam Calment.
Ms. Audrey Stubbart, born June 9, 1895, turned 105 this year and worked as a full-time proof reader for the Examiner Newspaper of Jackson Country, Missouri. Her newspaper has put up a special website dedicated just to her. We have just learned that she died shortly after retiring.
November 8, 1999. Mr. Dag T. Hoelseth of Norway reports that Mr. Nils Elowsson died on October 25, 1999 at age 109 years and 2 days old. [Source: Kristianstadsbladet (November 8th Edition).]
On January 26, 2000, Mr. Louis Epstein wrote in an E-mail about his best guess for who might be "the world's oldest living woman" and "the world's oldest living man"? Here is his answer: "There are many unsubstantiated claims out there. But, for women, Marie Brémont seems the conservative pick overall, though I have hopes that information can be found to substantiate Ella Miller. Among men, there hasn't been a serious look at data on Begay or Amsterdam. Holcomb and Tanabe are now 111."
June 25, 2001. Mrs. Marie-Laure Lauzon-Nadon, born April 12, 1889, is Quebec's
oldest resident. Mr. Desjardins E-mailed us this photograph by way of Mr. Robert Young.
She died on August 18, 2001 at the age of 112 years, 128 days.
Editor's Request to Our
Readers: If any of you
have access to photographs of any of these individuals, please get in touch with us, so we can
scan them in and place them here on our web site.
"Longitudinal and Comprehensive Follow-up Study of the Oldest Man in Japan">
by M. Akisaka, Y. Tanaka , and M. Suzuki
Research Center of Comprehensive Medicine, School of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus
Nippon Ronen Igakkai Zasshi - Japanese Journal of Geriatrics, 34(4):312-23 (April 1997).
July 25, 2002; Mr. Bart Versieck of Belgium writes, "The deterioration of the oldest Japanese man with proper documentation at that time, Mr. Genkan (or Gengan) Tonaki, was mainly due to his hospitalization away from his own relatives. He was born October 30, 1884 and died January 24, 1997 at 112 years, 86 days."
ABSTRACT [Translated from Japanese]
The oldest properly documented man in Japan attained the age of 112 years in October 1996. As an Okinawan Centenarian, he had been followed closely for the previous 12 years. One sister, 8 years younger, was alive at the start of the study; all other family members were killed in the Okinawan War of 1945 [World War II]. The man did agricultural work until age 85, after which he continued to be physically active and to pay close attention to his health. Results of medical examinations, including blood tests, remained within the normal limits, with a few exceptions. Some abnormalities were found on his EKG; the red blood cell count and the hemoglobin and hematocrit values decreased relatively slowly. His intake of nutrients was relatively well-balanced, and at the age of 100 his intake energy was 1,361 kilocalories per day, close to the value recommended for centenarians. His personality was categorized as "Type A," but the pattern was typical of that seen in other Okinawan centenarians. He was able to perform almost activities of daily living until the age of 108. At that time he was admitted to the hospital and his ability to perform those activities decreased sharply. His scores on the revised version of the Hasegawa dementia scale was within the normal range when he was 106 years old, but 3 years later it was in the "dementia" range. The rapidity of the decreases in his mental status and in his ability to perform activities of daily living that occurred when he was admitted to the hospital indicate that, if circumstances permit, elderly men may benefit from living at home with their families. Close attention to diet and exercise from youth through senescence may also contribute to health and longevity.
In response to the above Abstract, Susan Hogarth (sjhogart@unity.ncsu.edu) wrote...
"This makes sense intuitively, but it is certainly not the only possible interpretation of the data. Perhaps a rapid downward spiraling is inevitable (or normal), regardless of whether the person is among family or in a hospital."
April 30, 1999; The Weekly Kagoshima -- Mrs. Kamato Hongo of Kagoshima City became Japan's oldest living person on April 29th when Mr. Denzo Ishizaki, 112, of Ibaraki Prefecture passed away. Kamato was born on September 16, 1887 (in the 20th year of the Meiji era) which makes her 111 years of age. Kamato usually stays in bed but enjoys three meals a day and an occasional glass of shochu, a local distilled drink. She likes to sing our local folk songs, when she feels well.
October 10, 2007; Anne Langston Christopher, who lived in Rome, GA and was listed as Georgia's oldest documented resident, died today.
Anne Christopher celebrates her 112th birthday earlier this year.
Christopher, who was 112 at the time of her death, moved to Rome from South Carolina in 2002 and lived at both Winthrop Senior Living Home and Fifth Avenue Health Care.
November 14, 2007; Maggie Renfro is now 112 yo
with a fascinating
video clip of her and her two sisters from a local TV station (KTBS Channel 3) in
Shreveport, LA. (TRT = 2:52 sec.). One Sister, Rose Warren, is 101 yo. She, like Maggie, lives
with relatives. Another sister, Carrie Thornton is 105 yo and in an extended-care hospital in
Shreveport. This makes them the oldest group of three living siblings in the world.
November 29, 2007; This photo just in from Robert Young of Atlanta, GA of...
Mrs. Ethel Johnson, born September 28, 1897. Mrs. Johnson lives near Toledo, OH;
her Mother lived to age 101.
"Nebraska's Oldest Citizen Dies at 110"
by
Jane Palmer, Staff Writer
December 15, 2007; Creighton, NE (Omaha World Herald) - - Nebraska's oldest citizen, Julia (Huigens) Tharnish, died Thursday at the Creighton Care Center. She was 110. Tharnish died just a few hours after learning that daughter Pauline McMaine had died. McMaine, 85, lived across the hall from Tharnish at the Care Center.
Tharnish had 14 children, helped her husband on the farm, and played the piano until she was 104. She was born on a farm near Creighton and was one of eight children. As a teen, she wrote for the local newspaper, worked in a variety store and played piano for silent films shown at the local theater.
She married Ernest Tharnish in 1915, and the couple farmed in the Creighton area until 1954. Then they moved to town and operated a direct marketing business, selling household supplies to farmers door-to-door.
"She was a great lady," said Granddaughter Monica Eby of Omaha. "She had a sense of humor all the way to the end. She decided to put herself in the nursing home at age 100. She played piano for a good four years after that. She loved waltzes, polkas, and all the classics. She played the piano in the lobby once a week."
Tharnish's daughter Anna Schumacher of North Platte, NE, recalled at least one occasion when the family hauled the piano into the hayloft of a newly constructed barn, and her Mother played for a dance. "They made their own fun," she said of her parents. Schumacher described her Mother as patient and slow to anger. "She was always good for helping at the church, bake sales and whatever they needed," she said.
Tharnish's husband died in 1983. Her survivors include Sons Raymond, Elmer, and John, all of Lincoln; Robert of Elgin, NE, and Ernest Jr. of Northglenn, CO; Daughters Gertrude Effle, Rita Wagner, and Pat Neumann, all of Creighton, Margaret Hansen of O'Neill, NE, Irene Thomas of Dallas, TX, and Ruth Jankiewicz of Chaska, MN; 75 Grandchildren, about 165 Great Grandchildren, and more than 60 Great- Great-Grandchildren.
Abeline (Wrage) Spiehs of Grand Island is now the oldest Nebraskan. She turned 109 years old on September 4th.
November 27, 2007; By way of Mr. Robert Young of Atlanta, GA, one of our readers discovered this photo of Mrs. Hisa Tokumoto born on February 25, 1896 and who died today at age 111 years, 275 days. The link just below appears to be a September 2007 story about her being honored as Yamaguchi Prefecture's oldest resident on 'Respect for the Aged' day. If you can read Japanese, click for more details.
December 22, 2007; We are sad to report that Mrs. Bertha Leila Backman Shull, born on October 16, 1894, passed away today at age 113 years, 67 days.
December 26, 2007; Columbia, SC (AP) - - "Fourth Oldest Person In U.S., A South Carolina Resident, Dies At 113." Leila Bertha Backman Shull, the oldest South Carolina resident and one of the oldest people in the world, has died. She was 113. Shull died Saturday at her home, Todd Caughman, manager of Caughman-Harmon Funeral Homes, said Wednesday. Shull, of Lexington County in central South Carolina, was known as an avid gardener who enjoyed raising flowers. She was also known for her cooking, especially her biscuits and chicken.
Shull was married to Lee Shull for 45 years and never remarried in the 47 years after he died. She had four Children, 15 Grandchildren, 34 Great-grandchildren and 40 Great-great-grandchildren. Her 81-year-old daughter took care of her. "We feel kind of like it's a relief to her," Lettie Mae Smith told The (Columbia) State for a report published in Wednesday's newspapers.
Even as her hearing and vision failed, friends said Shull didn't mind visitors and liked to clutch their hands while she talked. "The most beautiful thing was that even though she didn't hear well and see well, she was able to talk to you and relate certain things," said Crystal Danker, a friend of Shull's Granddaughter, Ann Seigler. Danker remembered Shull's response when she was once told she was 113."'Whew, that's a long time"' Danker recalled Shull saying. "'I think Jesus must've forgotten about me."'
Shull was the fourth oldest person in the United States and the seventh oldest in the world, said Dr. L. Stephen Coles, Co-founder of the California-based Gerontology Research Group. Coles said, "There was some question whether Shull was actually born in 1895, but his group recognizes her 1894 birth date." Shull's birth date and the day she was married were recorded in a family Bible, which alerted relatives to her age. "I didn't know Mom was that old," Smith told The State. "And I wouldn't believe it until I saw it in the Bible."
Shull was a member of St. David Lutheran Church for 75 years. Her funeral was scheduled for Wednesday.
December 29, 2007; Noemi Bernard Anderson was born in Oregon on September 28, 1897, the Daughter of French immigrants. She now resides in Northern California. This photo of her was taken when she was 109.
January 1, 2008; We are sad to report the passing of Mrs. Bertha Lilly on December 30th at 111 years, 112 days. She was born September 9, 1896
January 1, 2008; A Farmington Hills woman who died Sunday probably was Michigan's oldest person and one of the oldest in the nation. Mrs. Bertha Lilly, who lived all her life in Michigan, was 111, according to documents she left. "She is the oldest in Michigan" according to computer searches, said Ellen Kramer, 76, the youngest of Bertha Lilly's six children, only three of whom survive her.
"There are several versions that give her as 14th- or 15th-oldest in the United States and 44th in the world," said Kramer, who lives in Farmington Hills, near the assisted-living center where her mother had lived since suffering a broken hip at age 105. Other Michiganders have lived to ripe old ages, including a woman once recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest person in the world: Maud Farris-Luse was 115 when she died in 2002 in Coldwater.
But many of those who claim extreme ages lack vital records. Mrs. Lilly left valid documents, photographed by the Free Press last year, showing that she was born in 1896 not far from Durand, near Flint, MI. Although no Birth Certificate remains for Mrs. Lilly, survivors have a Birth Certificate for one daughter -- Joanna Lilly Steele, 86, of Farmington Hills -- listing her mother's age in 1921. Survivors also have Mrs. Lilly's last Driver's License, showing her age in 1985. "She didn't stop driving until she was 90 and continued to play Bridge until this year," said Daughter-in-law Dianne Lilly, 74, of Walled Lake.
She graduated in about 1918 from what is now Wayne State University, family members said. She married a doctor, Charles Lilly, in 1920. He died at age 69 in 1962. Mrs. Lilly also is survived by her Daughter Phyllis McClain, 77, of Toledo; 44 Grandchildren; 104 Great-grandchildren, and two Great-great-grandchildren.
Visitation is [3-9] PM, Wednesday at McCabe Funeral Home, 31950 West Twelve Mile in Farmington Hills. The funeral is at 10:30 AM, Thursday, at St. Fabian Catholic Church, 32200 W. Twelve Mile in Farmington Hills.
January 1, 2008; Japanese Supercentenarian Kou Iijima was born on March 25, 1896.
January 1, 2008; Mrs. Lilly B. Taylor was born on August 5, 1897 and died on October 29, 2007 at age 110 years, 85 days.
January 2, 2008; Kuni Numata was born on February 16, 1896 and died on November 16, 2007. Photo courtesy of Stefan Gelow.
January 2, 2008; Mrs. Chiyono Ohta was born on November 2, 1896. Photo courtesy of Stefan Gelow.
January 3, 2008; Dorothy Hodgson, born July 23, 1897 in England, passed away on December 7, 2007 at age 110 years, 137 days in British Columbia, CANADA.
January 5, 2008; We are sad to report that French woman, Marie Rouch, born on May 29, 1897, passed away on October 27, 2007 at 110 years, 151 days.
January 5, 2008; Mrs. Mary Marques was born in Portugal on February 11, 1896 and passed away on January 3, 2008 at age 111 years, 326 days. Click for details from the Boston Globe.
Beatrice Farve of Brunswick, GA, age 112, was born on April 30, 1895.
January 10, 2008; Mrs. Gertrude Shindel born on July 29, 1897, passed away on December 29, 2007, in Indiana, at age 110 years, 153 days.
This photo is from her 108th birthday in 2005, when she was presented with eight kittens.
January 12, 2008; Mrs. Kristine Brown, born in Missouri on September 8, 1897, passed away on December 19, 2007, in Oklahoma, at age 110 years, 102 days.
March 22, 2008; Grace Presbyterian Ministries has sent us these two photos of
Mrs. Arbella Ewing, born March 13, 1894. She was the third oldest person in the
World as well as the oldest resident of Texas. She passed away on March 22nd at the age of 114.
Her Obituary can be found in today's
The Los Angeles Times.
January 26, 2008; Stefan Gelow has just sent us these photos of
Chiyo Shiraishi, 112, currently Japan's third-oldest person, who was born on August 6,
1895. Ms. Shiraishi lives in Ibaraki Prefecture.
April 23, 2008; She is now the second oldest person (only behind an anonymous woman from Okinawa, born May 10, 1895).
January 28, 2008;
Briget, Chrissie Martenstein, and Lynn Martenstein
Chrissie Martenstein born June 9, 1897 is 110 years old. She has lived in San Francisco her entire life. Briget (L) is her live-in care giver. Lynn (R) is her Niece, who lives in Florida. Chrissie is the oldest living survivor of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire.
April 18, 2008; Mrs. Chrissie Martenstein passed away today at age 110 years, 314 days.
January 29, 2008;
Annie Elizabeth (Allen) Butler, born June 4, 1897, is believed to be the third oldest person in England. Click for more details in The Courier of Leamington Spa, Warwickshire; UK "Woman Celebrates 110th Birthday" (June 7, 2007).
February 3, 2008; Mr. Stefan Gelow sent us this photo of
Mrs. Haya Kurogi, born January 10, 1897, on the occasion of her 111th birthday. She
passed away on February 2, 2008 less than one month later.
February 15, 2008;
Mrs. Suwa Kondou was born November 15, 1897 in Japan and passed away on
January 22, 2008 at age 110 years, 68 days. The first phot was taken at age 108; The second
photo was taken at age 109 in September 2007.
February 15, 2008; Mr. Robert Young of Atlanta, GA just sent us this photo of
Mrs. Besse Cooper who was born on August 26, 1896 in Tennessee and who now lives
in Georgia. The photo was taken on October 25, 2007.
February 18, 2008; Mr. Robert Young of Atlanta, GA took this photo of
Dr. Leila Denmark on February 9, 2008. She was born in Georgia on February 1,
1898. Note that Dr. Denmark is said to be the co-developer of the Pertussis (whooping cough)
vaccine in the 1930's, and was well-known in Georgia for her books such as Every Child
Should Have a Chance (1971) and Dr. Denmark's Book of Everyday Wisdom
(1998). In 2001, Dr. Denmark retired at the age of 103, being the nation's oldest practicing
physician. She was the second woman in Georgia to obtain a medical degree in 1928 from the
Medical College of Georgia.
March 26, 2008; Leila Denmark listens to her Grandniece, Jackie Bennett, during Denmark's
108th birthday party.
February 22, 2008; Mr. Robert Young has just sent us this photo of
Mrs. Tsuneyo Toyonaga, Japan's oldest person, is pictured in Nankoku, Kochi
Prefecture (state), Southwestern Japan, in May 2007. Toyonaga has died of old age on Friday,
February 22, 2008. (AP Photo/Kyodo News)
Tokyo, JAPAN (AP) - - Japan's oldest person has died at a hospital in Southwestern Japan, her nursing home said Saturday. She was 113. "Tsuneyo Toyonaga, who became the country's oldest person last August, died Friday, days after she was transferred to a nearby hospital because she lost her appetite," said Masuko Yamamoto, deputy director of the Yume-no- Sato nursing home in the southern city of Nangoku.
Born on May 21, 1894, Toyonaga had been in the nursing home the last 12 years. "She was a darling among caretakers and fellow residents," Yamamoto said. "She was dozing off most of the day recently, but when she was awake she used to enjoy singing children's songs. Once she started singing she wouldn't stop until we all got tired and had to stop her," she said. "Toyonaga is survived by five children and ten Grandchildren," Kyodo News agency said.
Kaku Yamanaka, born on Dec. 11, 1894, is now Japan's oldest person, according to the Health and Welfare Ministry. She lives in a nursing home in Aichi, Central Japan. The number of Japanese living beyond 100 has almost quadrupled in the last ten years and is soon expected to surpass 28,000. Japan has one of the world's longest average life spans - - a factor often attributed to a healthy diet rich in fish and rice. In 2006, Japanese women set a new record for life expectancy at 85.81 years, while men live an average of about 79.00 years.
"Edna Parker of Shelbyville, IN, is recognized as the world's oldest person at age 114," according to The Guinness Book of Records. She was born on April 20, 1893.
February 24, 2008; Mr. Robert Young of Atlanta, GA just sent us this photo of
Mrs. Cora B. Gentry. From left, Tiffany Kesting, 35, and her Daughter Emma Grace
Kesting, 2, talk with Cora B. Gentry at her birthday party at Big Sandy United Methodist Church
in Tuscaloosa County on Sunday. Gentry turned 110 on Saturday. Kesting is Gentry's
Great-granddaughter and Emma Grace is Gentry's Great-great-granddaughter.
April 11, 2008; Mrs. Cora Boggs Gentry passed away today three days shy of her 111th birthday at age 110 years, 363 days.
February 23, 2008; Mr. Stefan Gelow has sent us this picture of
Mrs. Tsuyano Watanabe of Tokushima Prefecture who was born February 20, 1896
and died on May 14, 2007 at the age of 111 years, 83 days.
February 25, 2008; Mr. Robert Young of Atlanta, GA has sent us this picture of
Mrs. Martha Wiley taken when she was 110. She died at age 112, two years later. She
was born on August 28, 1894 and passed away on October 16, 2006. A 2004 newspaper story
noted that Martha's Sister was 107 years old; however, we have not been able to locate a death
date for her Sister.
March 1, 2008; Mr. Robert Young of Atlanta, GA has sent us this picture of
Mrs. Charlessa Wiggins, born in Minnesota on February 9, 1898 and now lives in
Illinois.
March 29, 2008; Mrs. Charlessa Wiggins passed away today only one and a half months after turning 110, at age 110 years, 49 days.
March 24, 2008; Following an interview with the Houston Chronicle, we received
this photo of
Mrs. Eunice Sanborn, right, who plans to celebrate her 112th birthday in a few months.
She is from of North East Texas, was born on July 20, 1896, and is now the oldest person in
Texas. Click for details from the
Houston Chronicle.
March 28, 2008; Our correspondent in Portugal, Mr. Filipe Prista Lucas, just sent us this
photo of
Maria de Jesus, born September 10, 1893, now age 114. Filipe reports that she is in
good health and quite well... "I found her sitting at the kitchen, waiting for lunch. She still gets
up everyday at around 10 AM, does her exercises, moves around with the help of a walker,
spends the day sitting in the kitchen or under the sun on her porch, and goes to bed around 8 PM.
She is still alert and seems to understand what is being told to her, as she waved at us and smiled
when told that she had visitors."
March 29, 2008;
Mrs. Noemi Bernard Anderson, born September 28, 1897, now age 110, was born in
The Dalles, OR, near the Columbia River, attended UC Berkeley in 1920, taught school for many
years, and now lives in the Sunrise Senior Living Home in Petaluma, CA.
April 8, 2008;
Kaku Yamanaka born on December 11, 1894, passed away on April 5, 2008 at the age
of 113 years, 116 days. Click for
details.
Ref.:
"Passings: Kaku Yamanaka: Japan's Oldest Person Dies at 113,"
The Los Angeles Times, p. B7 (April 8, 2008).
April 9, 2008;
Heritage Health and Rehabilitation Center
Activity Director Robin Spicer gives Nellie Jones a kiss.
Mrs. Nellie Jones born January 30, 1897 died today (April 9, 2008) in Zeeland, MI at
age 111 years, 70 days.
Refs.:
1. AP, "Zeeland Woman, One of the World's Oldest People, Dies at 111," MLive.com (April 9, 2008).
2. "Zeeland Resident Nellie Jones, One of the Oldest People in the World, Dies"
Grand Rapids Press (April 9, 2008).
April 18, 2008;
Mrs. Edna Parker holds a rose that she was given during a birthday party for her in
Shelbyville, IN, on Friday, April 18, 2008. Parker, who was born April 20, 1893, is the oldest
known living person, according to Guinness Book of Records. She will turn 115 on
Sunday, April 20th. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings).
May 5, 2008;
Mrs. Ruth Emblow of New York, born February 6, 1898 died on March 16, 2008 at
110 years and 39 days. Ruth's twin sister, Rhea lived to be 100, providing more
evidence that the phenotype of longevity is inherited. But, if they were identical twins reared
together [?], one might rightly ask, "Why didn't they die together on the same day?" The answer
to this question lies in epigenetics, the random distribution of methyl groups decorating
the DNA, which are not inherited at birth, but acquired during life. Thus, among twins, they start
off with the same methyl groups in all their cells, but drift increasingly apart with age. This gives
each twin unique gene expression patterns and thus a different rate of cellular aging.
This is the last GRG Centenarian File containing photos of Women Supercentenarians (No. 6 of 6).