Ilah Grile

BIOGRAPHY

Ilah Grile was born in Pennville, Indiana, USA, on 27 February 1915, to parents William Albert Ogan and Alice Arvilla Stewart. She had eight siblings: Raymond, George, Keith, Edna Trythall, Mable Austin, Eva, Atha, and Ruby Shoemaker. She sold candy door-to-door as a child, growing up on her parents’ 40-acre farm just outside of Pennville. At some point in her youth, she discovered her passion for baking. She graduated with the Pennville High School class of 1933.

On 6 April 1941, she married Willard Herbert Grile in Jay County, Indiana.

Grile and her husband loved to travel, often camping at various locations across the United States, including Badlands National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and Branson, Missouri. She fondly recalled her first trip in 1933 when she attended the World’s Fair in Chicago, hitching a ride on a flatbed truck owned by a friend of a friend’s father. Beginning in 1969, Grile co-owned the I&M Foodliner grocery store in Pennville with her son, Mike, for approximately 18 years. She was also widely known for her dedication to Sugar Grove Church of the Nazarene, where she taught Sunday School for more than 50 years.

She passed away on 23 January 2026 in Pennville, Indiana, United States, at the age of 110 years, 330 days. She was survived by her son Michael, two grandsons, and three great-grandchildren.

RECOGNITION

Her age was verified by Eli Logan, and validated by LongeviQuest on 5 March 2025.

On 7 December 2025, following the passing of Ruth MacNeil, she became the oldest known living person in the U.S. state of Indiana.

ATTRIBUTION

* “At 108, Grile enjoys community hype” – The Commercial Review, 24 May 2023

* “Grile, oldest in state, died at age 110” – The Commercial Review, 26 January 2026

* Ilah Grile Obituary – Legacy

GALLERY

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