Supercentenarian Profile

Ellen Barber

Born:

1903-10-20

Eden Township, Pennsylvania

United States

Died:

2014-07-02

Neffsville, Pennsylvania

United States

Ellen “Dolly” Barber (née Kemper) was an American supercentenarian.

BIOGRAPHY

Ellen Barber was born in Eden Township, Pennsylvania, on 20 October 1903. Her parents were Daniel and Ellie Kemper. At the age of 12, she moved with her family to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. By 16, she was working at a cotton mill.

She later married Thomas “Tom” Barber, editor of the Lancaster Sunday Newspaper. Together they had one son, John “Jack” Barber, and shared their home with her mother-in-law, Ellen Kemper. She was widowed in 1985 and moved into a retirement home in 2004.

A devoted member of Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church, she enjoyed traveling with her husband to destinations such as Rio de Janeiro and Havana for his work. She also had the rare privilege of attending tea at the White House on two occasions—once with Lady Bird Johnson and once with Jacqueline Kennedy.

Ellen Barber passed away in Neffsville, Pennsylvania, on 2 July 2014, at the age of 110 years, 255 days.