Henrietta Dobin

BIOGRAPHY

Henrietta Dobin was born in Newark, New Jersey, United States on 17 August 1911. Her parents, Samuel (1882-1965) and Eva Horne (1887-1955), were Jewish immigrants from Russian-annexed Poland. When she was five years old, her family moved to Brooklyn, New York.

In March 1930, at the age of 18, she married Solomon Dobin (1910-1990), a businessman who later founded a department store chain called Bargain Town USA. They would go on to have two children, Myra (born 1937), and Steven (born 1946). After her husband began attending University of Texas in the early 1930s, she decided to travel there to be with him, making the journey from New York to Texas by hitchhiking. When she arrived, she only had 10 cents in her possession, but she was able to borrow some money from a local rabbi. The couple were frequent travelers, having visited many countries, including Iran, China, Japan, and Israel. They would remain married for over 60 years, before Solomon’s death in 1990, less than a month before his 80th birthday.

Throughout her life, she was an avid golfer and painter, and spent many years volunteering for the Nassau County Museum of Art, continuing until the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when she was 108. She had lived in an assisted living center since the age of 105.

In 2021, a large celebration was held at her care home to commemorate her 110th birthday, where she stated “I lived a life – a good life – I did what I wanted, I traveled all over the world, I’ve made very good friends.” At the time, she spent much of her time painting, watching Jeopardy! on TV, and playing games such as bingo and bridge with other residents. Sometime after her 110th birthday, she moved to the Nautilus Hotel in Atlantic Beach. She was often referred to as “Queenie” or “The Queen” by staff and residents, as she was always well-dressed.

Henrietta Dobin died in Atlantic Beach, New York, USA on 1 September 2022, at the age of 111 years, 15 days. At the time of her death, she was the second-oldest known living person in New York, behind Hattie Hill.