Cleo Hinton was born in Royal, West Virginia, USA, on 7 June 1910, as the second of three children born to parents, Robert and Jennie Gore. Her mother was a housewife, and her father was a coal miner. Due to her father’s occupation, her early childhood was spent living in various mining camps. After graduating from high school, she attended a beauty culture school, thanks to a neighbor who operated it. She joined a local church at a young age, following her family’s tradition. As a young adult, she attended a singing convention in a neighboring community, where she met her future husband, Adolph Goodrich Hinton.
Hinton got married in Pearisburg, Virginia, on 28 August 1937. The couple went on to have five children: Carol (died in 2016), Robert, Charles, Billie, and Larry (died in 1988). After her son Charles was born, the family moved back to Beckley to be closer to her relatives. Her husband worked as a coal miner, while she was a homemaker. She worked briefly at the Beckley Hotel before getting married. Her husband passed away in 1984. Later in life, after suffering a stroke, she relocated to New Jersey to receive support from her children. During her centenarian years, she spent most of her time at the Villas at Shady Brook senior community in Langhorne, Pennsylvania.
Her parents lived well into their 90s, and her sister lived to 106. However, her son said she would have attributed her long life to her family and her unwavering faith. She was a member of the Free and Independent Holiness Church in Beckley and later, New Holy Cross Church Of Christ in Trenton, New Jersey. She always maintained a garden where she grew fruits and vegetables, which she canned herself. Sometime in her centenarian years, before her 110th birthday, she suffered a stroke that paralyzed her left side.
At the time of her 110th birthday, she had three living children, 23 grandchildren, 40-great-grandchildren, and 10 great-great-grandchildren. At the time, she was nearly blind and had significant hearing loss.
Cleo Hilton passed away in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, USA, on 22 July 2020, at the age of 110 years, 45 days.
Her age has not been validated.
* “Middletown resident celebrates 110th birthday in style” – PhillyBurbs, 24 June 2020
* “At 110, woman gets a parade” – The Register-Herald, 27 June 2020
* “Cleo Gore Hinton Obituary” – Tribute Archive