Supercentenarian Profile

Marion Davidson

Born:

1902-02-02

Pine County, Minnesota

United States

Died:

2012-03-04

New Richmond, Wisconsin

United States

Marion Louise Davidson (née Howell) was an American supercentenarian.

BIOGRAPHY

Marion Davidson was born in Pine County, Minnesota, USA, on 2 February 1902, to parents Sereno Bernell “Sean” Howell (1862–1950) and Thekla Clatida Rahm (1868–1969). She had three older siblings: Francis Leslie Howell (1894–1978), Dorothy Elizabeth Nickelson (1896–1986), and Lillian Marie Johnson (1899–1991). She was born and raised near Hinckley, Minnesota. Her father worked for the Northern Pacific Railway, working on the railroad line between St. Paul and Duluth for many years. She never contracted any contagious diseases while growing up, a fact she humorously attributed to her eating habits at the time.

She graduated from Forest Lake High School as the salutatorian of her class of seven. In 2011, Davidson was inducted into the Forest Lake High School Hall of Fame for being the school’s longest-living graduate.

She met her husband, Robert Arlo Davidson (1901–1966), in Forest Lake, and they married when she was 19 years old. She said she enjoyed being a housewife, particularly cooking, mending clothes, and cleaning the house. She had two daughters in her 20s, Joyce and Jackie. Her eldest daughter, Joyce, died in December 2005.

Because her husband’s construction work was seasonal, she attended beauty school and worked as a beautician at various shops once her children started school. She eventually transitioned to office work.

When asked about the secret to her longevity, she said she did not do anything special, adding, “Didn’t worry about dieting, I just ate what I wanted and did what I wanted.” Although alcohol never played a significant role in her life, she had been a smoker when she was younger. She said she was able to control the habit, never needing to smoke in the mornings and never smoking while at work. Nevertheless, it took her 10 years to finally quit smoking.

Marion Davidson passed away in New Richmond, Wisconsin, on 4 March 2012, at the age of 110 years, 31 days. She was survived by eight grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.