Bertha Massey was a validated American supercentenarian who died in 2007 at the age of 110.
Bertha Massey was born in Lexington, South Carolina, on 21 January 1897. She was the seventh of 15 children. Her father was a farmer born into slavery, and her mother was a traveling midwife. Massey’s early life involved attending church and, due to her mother’s frequent absences, cooking for her large family by the age of 12. The family grew their own food and wore clothes sewn by Massey.
At 17, seeking a different life, Massey married and moved to West Virginia, though the marriage ended after a few years. In 1929, she remarried, and had three children. That same year, she joined the Pentecostal Church and became an ordained minister two years later.
On her 107th birthday in 2004.
(Source: Dayton Daily News)
In her 30s, Massey attended Moody Bible School in Chicago, Illinois. She devoted much of her life to the church, becoming a Pentecostal Bishop in 1971, overseeing Ohio, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Her preaching career spanned over 70 years, remaining active in the church until she was 110. Massey credited her longevity to her faith and a long-standing skincare routine involving Noxzema cream.
Bertha Massey passed away in Dayton, Ohio, United States, on 5 May 2007, aged 110 years, 104 days.
LongeviQuest congratulates Bertha Massey’s family on her posthumous recognition.
For more information, please view Mrs. Massey’s Directory Profile here.
