Supercentenarian Profile

Madge Snelling

Born:

1908-08-18

Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, England

United Kingdom

Died:

2020-02-22

Chester Village, Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario

Canada

✔ Age Certified by LongeviQuest

Madge Irene Snelling (née Poulton) was a British-born Canadian supercentenarian whose age has been validated by LongeviQuest.

BIOGRAPHY

Snelling was born on 18 August 1908 in Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, England, to Albert William Poulton (1882–1916) and Annie Kate (Lewis) Poulton Hopkins (1883–1974). She had several siblings, including John Denis, Mary Alexandra, and Patricia Audrey. Her father died in 1916 during World War I when Madge was still a child.

In 1920, at the age of 11, she emigrated to Canada with her family. As a young woman, she worked for an insurance company and later at the University of Saskatchewan, gaining clerical and administrative experience before her marriage. In 1931, she married Sydney Robert Snelling (1908–1983), and the couple had at least two children: Robert Sydney Snelling (1933–2002) and Joanne (Snelling) Hodder.

Snelling was widowed in 1983 following her husband’s death. At the age of 100 in 2008, she received a congratulatory letter from Queen Elizabeth II, a tradition for Commonwealth citizens reaching the milestone. She continued to live independently in her own one-bedroom apartment until the age of 102, when she moved into Midland Gardens retirement residence. Four years later, at 106, she transitioned into Chester Village in Scarborough, Toronto, where she remained for the rest of her life.

In her later years, she was admired for her lively spirit and sense of humor, and she cherished visits from her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She became a supercentenarian on 18 August 2018, later celebrating her 111th birthday in 2019. Madge Snelling passed away on 22 February 2020 at the age of 111 years, 188 days.