Two Supercentenarians Under One Roof

Fewer than 400 people alive today have verifiably reached age 110. Incredibly, two of them share the same address.

Gwen Hutchinson and Veronica Pheney, both 110, ended up neighbors after spending their first century on Earth in very different places.

Their First Century

 

Ms. Gwen spent her first four decades in Jamaica. To this day, she proudly keeps photos of Queen Elizabeth II, whose domain included Jamaica and whose 1953 visit Ms. Gwen fondly remembers. In the mid-1960s, a nursing shortage in the United States led her to immigrate.

She studied at Mount Sinai Hospital in Brooklyn, New York and spent her career there as a psychiatric nurse. She recalls her career with great pride, and her caregiving team refers to her lovingly as “Nurse Gwen” or sometimes simply, “Nurse.”

 

Veronica Pheney (nee Ryan) is two months younger than her neighbor Nurse Gwen. Originally from Illinois, she served as an accountant for the U.S. Army Air Corps, later the Air Force. She was posted around the world and kept detailed journals and photos from her travels. Notably, she was stationed in Japan in the late 1940s and witnessed the start of the country’s modernization.

In retirement, Ms. Veronica’s travels took on religious significance, including a papal audience and pilgrimages. She was often joined by her sisters, two of whom also lived past age 100.

After living independently for their first 100+ years, Ms. Gwen and Ms. Veronica eventually needed some assistance. Neither supercentenarian had children, and both gradually outlived their close family members.

Neighbors at 110

The town of Lehigh Acres lies in Florida’s agricultural interior, a couple hours from both the theme parks of Orlando and the skyscrapers of Miami. It is this quiet part of Florida that these two remarkable women now call home.

Ms. Gwen and Ms. Veronica have been residents of Lehigh Acres Assisted Living for 8 and 5 years, respectively. Even the most active and healthy 110-year-old needs some support. For Ms. Gwen and Ms. Veronica, having outlived all close relatives could be a potential risk factor. Thankfully, they are treated like beloved grandmothers by their caregiving team, led by Amanda Flores.

Ms. Flores holds the title of Director of Celebrations at Lehigh Acres Assisted Living. Her title reflects the great lengths she and her colleagues go to provide their residents with a joyful, fun atmosphere. But her actual responsibilities go far beyond parties: she has become the surrogate granddaughter to her “two special ladies.”

On a summer day last week, we found Ms. Gwen and Ms. Veronica sitting on either side of Ms. Flores beside a table. Sprawled across the table were photo albums both women have kept full of memories and mementos from their 110-year lives.

“This is from college,” says Ms. Gwen, pointing to a photo of her and her classmates from nursing school. “I was a nurse,” she beams, picking up another album one-handed with a strong grip. Viewing photos of Ms. Gwen from the 1960s, it’s striking how little her appearance has changed in six decades.

Turning the page, she holds up the full article from a local newspaper in nearby LaBelle, Florida covering her 100^th birthday a decade ago.

 

To her right, Ms. Veronica looks at a photo and wearily admits, “I can’t see as well as I used to.” It is then that Ms. Flores springs into action, holding the album at Ms. Veronica’s preferred height and distance to help her make out the photos just enough to trigger some memories.

“And this was when you saw the Pope, right?” guides Ms. Flores, holding open a page of photos Ms. Veronica took in St. Peter’s Square in the 1980s. Each photo is captioned in her formal handwriting, one reading “The Pope in his ‘Pope Mobile.’”

“Oh, yes!” Ms. Veronica happily responds. “The Saint,” she corrects, referring to John Paul II’s canonization since then. Ms. Flores continues to navigate the mountain of albums, familiar enough with them to quickly find the corresponding photos as Ms. Veronica remembers different trips she’s taken.

 

Aside from their shared birth year (1915) and shared address, Ms. Gwen and Ms. Veronica don’t have too much in common. Ms. Gwen is a social butterfly who attends services of all denominations since it allows her to get outside and spend time with her neighbors. Ms. Veronica mostly keeps to herself, though she gets active at night, wheeling around the building in her chair using her feet to power herself.

Even still, the two dine together for every meal. Their table occupies the center of the dining room, and they are clearly treated as the grand dames of their community.

Ms. Flores acknowledges the special relationship she and her colleagues have with Ms. Gwen and Ms. Veronica. “They’re like my grandmothers,” she says, gripping their hands. It seems the warm feeling is mutual.

“I guess I’m old enough to be your mother,” says Ms. Veronica, 110, to Ms. Flores, 39.

It is perhaps the most endearing understatement ever.