BIOGRAPHY

Katherine Baumchen was born in Saskatchewan, Canada, on 10 February 1915. She was one of eight children raised on a wheat farm in Saskatchewan. The family had their own pony, a buggy, pigs, cows, calves, chickens, and geese. A year after the Great Depression began in 1929, her family moved to Toronto.

In 1940, at the age of 25, she secured an office job, first training on the comptometer, a key-driven mechanical calculator. This role led to a position with Standard Oil Company, where she worked alongside her older sister, Marie. In 1955, she took a vacation to Los Angeles. She and her sister liked it so much that they decided to stay for a year. By 1964, the sisters had settled there permanently. She found an office job with Standard Oil and also began volunteering weekly at St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles, a commitment she maintained for 25 years. She retired in 1980 at the age of 65.

RECOGNITION

Her age was verified by Eli Logan and Marco Wikkerink, and validated by LongeviQuest on 20 February 2025.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Mom’s the Word column: A 110-year-old’s birthday wish – Visit this Pasadena teahouse” – Los Angeles Daily News, 14 February 2025

GALLERY