BIOGRAPHY

Hazel Plummer was born as Hazel Kathleen Downs in Somerville, Massachusetts, USA, on 19 June 1908 to Harry Downs (1872–1944) and Margaret Allison (1876–1970). She had three siblings: an older sister, Grace, and two older brothers, Elmer and George. Tragically, George passed away in 1906, two years before Hazel was born, at just one year old. Hazel grew up just a street away from her future husband, Elmer Plummer (1907–2000), although the two were unaware of each other at the time. They eventually married in 1935 and had at least two children, Roger and David.

After completing eighth grade, Hazel attended trade school to train as a seamstress. She later worked for an upscale designer on Newbury Street in Boston, Massachusetts. Following her marriage, Hazel dedicated herself to raising their children while Elmer worked first at a steel company and later in the children’s department of a department store. In 1957, the family relocated to Littleton, Massachusetts, where Hazel has continued to reside ever since.

After Plummer’s father passed away suddenly at the age of 74, her mother moved in with the family and lived with them for 22 years until her death at the age of 94. Following her husband’s passing in January 2000, Plummer lived independently in her own second-floor apartment for 17 years before moving to a nursing home in Littleton, Massachusetts, at the age of 109. By her 110th birthday in June 2018, Plummer had six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

In January 2020, her nursing home honored her milestone with a special celebration, and she received a congratulatory message from Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker. On 30 December 2020, at the age of 112, Plummer received her first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, making her one of the oldest known recipients of the vaccine.

On 25 May 2023, Plummer passed away in Littleton, Massachusetts, USA, at the age of 114 years, 340 days.

RECOGNITION

Plummer became the oldest known living person in Massachusetts following the passing of 112-year-old Dorothy Brown on 26 November 2019. At the time, Plummer was 111 years and 160 days old. She held the title until her own passing in May 2023, when she was succeeded by Herlda Senhouse.

Plummer’s age was validated by the GRG on 26 June 2022.

On 3 January 2023, following the passing of 116-year-old Bessie Hendricks, who was the oldest living resident in the United States at the time, Plummer became the second-oldest living resident in the nation, behind Edie Ceccarelli. The two were the last remaining Americans born in 1908. Plummer passed away before Ceccarelli, and therefore never became the oldest living resident in the United States.

At the time of her passing, Plummer was the second-oldest validated person ever from the U.S. state of Massachusetts, after Bernice Madigan.

At the time of her passing, she was the sixth-oldest (known) living person in the world, after María Branyas Morera (Spain), Fusa Tatsumi (Japan), Edie Ceccarelli (USA), Tomiko Itooka (Japan), and Inah Canabarro Lucas (Brazil).

ATTRIBUTION

* Hazel Kathleen Downs Plummer – Find A Grave

* “Town’s oldest resident proves optimism can lead to a long, happy life” – Fifty Plus Advocate, 27 April 2015

* “Community Profile: Littleton’s oldest resident — Hazel Plummer” – Wicked Local, 28 February 2017

* “Littleton resident celebrates milestone 110th birthday surrounded by loved ones” – WickedLocal.com, 29 June 2018

* “112-year-old Hazel Plummer, oldest resident of Mass., gets the COVID-19 vaccine” – The Boston Globe, 30 December 2020

GALLERY