BIOGRAPHY

Roe was born as Ada Giddings in Islington, London, England, on 6 February 1858. She married William Roe in 1885, and the couple had three children.

The couple moved to Lowestoft, Suffolk, in the 1890s, and subsequently opened a dairy shop. Roe would assist with the business for over 75 years, still working there at the age of 110. She claimed the secret to her longevity was “a good childhood.”

Roe died on 11 January 1970 at the age of 111 years, 339 days.

RECOGNITION

Following the death of John Turner on 21 March 1968, Roe, then 110 years old, became the oldest living person in the United Kingdom; she later surpassed Turner’s age to become the oldest Briton ever. Alice Stevenson (1861 – 1973) succeeded her, and would go on to break Roe’s record in 1973.

Roe became the oldest living person in Europe and the world on 4 May 1969 and 31 December 1969 respectively, upon the deaths of Czech Republic’s Marie Bernátková and Japan’s Haruno Shimada – the latter’s age is not validated by LongeviQuest as of October 2024. She was succeeded by Spain’s Josefa Salas Mateo (1860 – 1973) and the U. S.’ Kitty Harvey (1860 – 1972) for each title.

Roe’s age was verified by Roger Thatcher (GRG), as well as Dr. Andrew Holmes and Chris Law (ESO), and was validated by the latter organisation on 12 April 2020.

ATTRIBUTION

• Shopkeeper 110 years old today The Times. 1968-02-06. p. 2
• Mrs Ada Roe The Times. 1969-02-05. p. 10.

GALLERY