Hazel Skuce, the oldest living person in Canada and the longevity record holder for the province of Manitoba, passed away in Brandon on 3 January at the age of 112 years, 331 days. Her passing was confirmed through a public obituary.
Skuce was born Hazel Short in Blanshard Municipality, Manitoba, Canada on 7 February 1912 to George Holwell Short and Esther Hyndman. She worked as a teacher in country schools and in schools around Brandon. At some point in her life, she married Richard “Dick” Patmore, who died in 1979. After he died, she remarried to John Skuce, but never had any children. Her second husband John died in 1999. She was a member of the local naturalist society and has a profound appreciation for birds.
Her brother Lawrence Short (1920–2016) and sister Muriel Myrtle Westwood (1917–2012) both died at the age of 95. Her younger sister, Clara Hornibrook, died on 25 February 2022 at the age of 108 years, 166 days, making them one of the oldest sibling pairs in history.
On 24 August 2022, following the passing of Jemima Westcott, she became the oldest (known) living person in Manitoba, at the age of 110 years, 198 days.
On 7 December 2023, she surpassed the final age of Arthur Nash (1885–1996), and on 23 January 2024, she surpassed the claimed age of Elizabeth Buhler (1899?–2011), becoming the oldest person to have ever lived or passed away in Manitoba.
On 25 June 2024, following the passing of 112-year-old Gertruda Górecka of Ontario, she became the oldest (known) living person in Canada, at the age of 111 years, 139 days. She also became the first known resident of the province of Manitoba to hold the title.
Upon her own passing, Margaret Romans succeeded her as the nation’s oldest living resident, while Annie Dobush became Manitoba’s oldest living resident.
The featured image: At the age of 107. (Source: The Brandon Sun)
We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of Hazel Skuce during this difficult time.
