BIOGRAPHY

Mamie Rearden was born in in Edgefield, South Carolina, USA, on 7 September 1898. She grew up in Pleasant Lane, never living more than a few miles from where she was born. Her father, who was one of the area’s largest black landowners, sent her off to earn a teaching certificate at Bettis Academy on the far side of the county, where she would spend an entire day on a loaded wagon across an unpaved dirt road to reach the school. In 1920, she married Oacy Rearden, and would go on to have 11 children. The couple were married for 59 years until Oacy’s death in 1979.

When she was 65, she received her drivers license for the first time, and began volunteering for an Edgefield County program that helped encourage school attendance for children living in rural communities.

At the age of 112, she was able to walk with the aid of a walker, and still enjoyed reading.

Mamie Rearden died in Augusta, Georgia, USA, on 2 January 2013 at the age of 114 years, 117 days, three weeks after suffering a fall and breaking her hip. At the time of her death, she was the fifth-oldest living person in the world.

RECOGNITION

Her age was validated by the Gerontology Research Group on 11 April 2010. At the time of her death, she was believed to be the oldest living person in the United States, although the subsequent validation of Gertrude Weaver meant that she never held this title. She was, however, among the five oldest living people in the world.

ATTRIBUTION

* “In Her 110th Year – A Mother is Praised” – Edgefield Advertiser, 7 May 2008

* “Edgefield woman, 112, oldest African-American” – The Augusta Chronicle, 19 January 2011

* “114-year-old woman, oldest living U.S. citizen, dies” – USA Today, 5 January 2013

GALLERY