BIOGRAPHY

Dorrie Aber-Noyek was born in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, on 15 February 1907, to general store shopkeepers. She had one sister and six brothers. Her father lived to be 65, and her mother lived to be 98. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and went on to teach history and literature to fifth graders. She met Nat Aber at a wedding and married him in June 1931. By the time her husband left to serve in England’s Royal Air Force in 1939, the couple had two children.

Fearing for their safety during World War II, the family joined an Atlantic convoy of ships bound for Montreal, where they settled with an aunt and uncle. During their five years in Canada, she volunteered at canteens, making sandwiches for soldiers. After the war, the family relocated to Toronto, where she continued her volunteer work at Sunnybrook Hospital. In 1946, the couple began taking annual trips to Miami Beach, where the warm weather helped ease her arthritis. When her husband retired in 1965, they moved to Hallandale Beach permanently.

After her husband’s passing in 1975, she decided to volunteer once again, this time at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, where her husband had spent his final days. In the 1980s, she married Bernard Noyek. Around that time, as a result of her advancing age, she reduced her volunteer schedule to once a week. In May 2003, at the age of 96, she was honored for 27 years of volunteer service at a luncheon attended by hundreds of Memorial volunteers.

At 105 years old, she only needed glasses for reading, went through the entire newspaper every day, and completed the crossword puzzle. She had also previously survived colon cancer. She retired from volunteering in 2017 at the age of 107. Over the years, she trained numerous adult and teen volunteers. She celebrated her 110th birthday surrounded by family, friends, and local dignitaries at the Springtree Rehabilitation & Health Care Center in Sunrise. Mayor Michael Ryan attended the event and honored her with a proclamation, officially declaring 15 February 2017, as Dorrie A. Day. She also received a special birthday letter from Queen Elizabeth II, extending her well wishes.

Dorrie Aber-Noyek passed away in Sunrise, Florida, USA, on 26 June 2017, at the age of 110 years, 131 days.

RECOGNITION

Her age was verified by Dr. Andrew Holmes, Jimmy Lindberg, and A.K. (anonymous), and validated by the ESO on 8 September 2024.

ATTRIBUTION

* European Supercentenarian Organisation (ESO)

* “VOLUNTEER CARRIES ON AT 96” – Sun Sentinel, May 2003

* “Volunteer legend marks 100th birthday on ‘job'” – The Miami Herald Sun, 18 February 2007

* “105-Year-Old Volunteer Says She Is “Very Lucky, Very Blessed”” – NBC 6 South Florida, 9 February 2012

* “Dorrie Honored At Age 108” – Memorial Healthcare System, 28 May 2015

* “Living Life to Fullest” – Signature HealthCARE, May 2017

GALLERY