Margaret Romans, the oldest living person in Canada, passed away in Sainte-Geneviève, Montréal, Québec, on 25 October, at the age of 113 years, 223 days.
Romans was born in Riga, Latvia (then Russian Empire), on 16 March 1912.
In 1941, she married Heinrich Romans, having a small wedding due to the war and Latvia’s occupation by the Soviet Union. Shortly after their wedding, the couple were forced to flee from Latvia. They lived in Germany for a few years before emigrating to Canada in 1947. The couple did not have any children of their own.
Romans worked as an art teacher at the YMCA, where she taught ceramics and painting for many years. Her husband was employed as an engineer. She enjoyed travelling, visiting places such as Italy, Berlin and Paris. Romans was widowed in 2002, and lived independently in Westmount, Quebec until the age of 107, when she moved into a nursing home in Sainte-Geneviève, a municipality of Montreal.
On 3 January 2025, following the passing of 112-year-old Hazel Skuce, she became the oldest (known) living person in Canada.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of Margaret Romans during this difficult time.
