Eva Elizabeth “Dolly” Seaman was a British-born Canadian supercentenarian who was among the oldest living people in Ontario. Her age has been validated by the European Supercentenarian Organisation (ESO) and recognised by LongeviQuest.
Seaman was born in Christchurch, England, on 30 December 1892. She emigrated to Canada at three years old, along with her family, settling in Grimsby, Ontario, where her father found work as a carpenter.
At the age of 14, Seaman started an apprenticeship with the Grimsby Independent newspaper, working as a printer, setting the type by hand. In 1919, she became the first woman in eastern Canada to acquire an International Typographical Union journeyman printer’s certificate. For six months, she worked for a newspaper in St. Catharine’s, Ontario, before moving on to work for The Standard.
Seaman continued to work for The Standard until her retirement in 1960. Her workday started at four o’clock, allowing her to enjoy a round of golf in the afternoons. She outlived her siblings, Winnifred, Hazel, and Harry. Neither her nor her sisters ever married, and her brother died during World War II.
In her centenarian years, Seaman was partially deaf and blind, but was reported to still be mentally sharp. She lived in a nursing home in Orangeville, Ontario from 1994 until her death. Since the age of 98, she suffered and recovered from four bouts of pneumonia, a broken hip, and a hernia surgery.
Seaman died on 13 January 2003 at the age of 110 years, 14 days.
At the time of her death, Seaman was the second-oldest known Ontario resident after fellow U. K. native Mary Ellen Swan (1892 – 2004).
Seaman’s age was verified by Dr. Andrew Holmes and validated by the ESO on 7 September 2024.
Seaman on her 110th birthday (Source: The Orangeville Banner)
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