BIOGRAPHY

Mary Ransopher was born in Howard County, Indiana, on 25 December 1912, to parents Ed Orliff Farlow (1882–1955) and Pansy Thompson (1883–1970). She had four brothers: Herbert Allen (1909–1997), Joseph Thompson (1911–1976), Max Lindley (1915–2002), and Ward R. “Bob” (1919–2010). The family moved to her father’s family apple orchard, Farlow’s Orchard, in Russiaville, which had been established by her grandparents in 1885. At the orchard, they grew heritage apple varieties such as Grimes Golden, Maiden Blush, Jonathan, and McIntosh. She recalled that the family incorporated the fruit into everything—canning, drying, and baking—to ensure the produce lasted year-round. In addition to the orchard, they kept cows, though she wasn’t allowed to help with milking them since, as the only girl in the family, her duties involved assisting her mother in the house. They also raised 100 hens, whose eggs they took to town to sell, using the money to buy groceries. She was raised in the Quaker church.

Her earliest memory was reportedly of the Armistice marking the end of the First World War in 1918. She recalled her father coming into the house and announcing that they would go to Russiaville to celebrate. She was five or six years old when they first got electricity in their home. Initially, there were no electric appliances like irons—just electric lights. Her younger brother, Max, born in 1915, came close to dying during the Spanish flu pandemic. In the early 1920s, the family lived in a white, two-story house located just over a mile southeast of New London and the school. Her first “job” was preparing all the meals for herself and her brothers to take to school. They carried their lunches in either a bucket or a lunchbox. To get to the New London School, they had to walk the entire distance. By the time she was a teenager, she was selling apples and eating plenty of them, having grown up surrounded by an abundance of fruit on the orchard.

On 28 August 1935, she married Jesse Marland “Marlin” Ransopher (1913–2006) at the New London Friends Church outside of Russiaville. She explained how the Great Depression was an experience that delayed their marriage. They went on to have four children: Jane Ann, Ed, Susan, and Tad. In 1940, they moved to a farm in Clinton County, where they lived for 12 years. During that time, they managed a traditional farm with cows, pigs, and milk cows. It was also the era when television made its debut. Not wanting to be left behind, her husband purchased the first television in the community. Local teenagers would often come over to watch it.

In 1994, she moved into a retirement community as her husband’s health began to decline. After his passing in 2006, she continued living independently for more than a decade, until her eyesight began to fail.

In December 2022, she was interviewed by her great-granddaughter, a WLFI reporter Marlee Thomas. At 111 years old, she was reported to still possess a sharp mind. However, she had lost most of her mobility, her hearing was greatly diminished, and within the past year, her eyesight had begun to fail. Earlier, in the 1990s, she had lost partial vision in her left eye due to glaucoma. Gerry Justice, an Indianapolis-based writer, met with Ransopher several times during her centenarian years. He incorporated her stories into his book, My 100-Year-Old Friends, a collection of biographies showcasing centenarians from across the country. At 111 years old, it was reported that she only needed one prescribed pill daily, for her blood pressure. She still enjoyed indulging in French fries, cheeseburgers, sweets, and a daily Diet Pepsi.

When asked about the greatest joys of her life, she mentioned her church work, family, and children, saying, “You enjoy what your children are doing.” When reflecting on her lifestyle, she described it as a clean life. She never smoked a cigarette or drank alcohol.

When asked about the greatest joys of her life, she mentioned her church work, family, and children, saying, “You enjoy what your children are doing.” When reflecting on her lifestyle, she described it as a clean life. She never smoked a cigarette or drank alcohol.

RECOGNITION

Her age was verified by Stefan Maglov, and validated by LongeviQuest on 18 February 2023.

On 24 April 2023, following the death of 111-year-old Charlotte McLauchlin, she became the oldest (known) living person in the U.S. state of Indiana.

ATTRIBUTION

* Ed Orliff Farlow – Find A Grave

* Ms. Mary Ransopher – gerryjustice.com

* “Indiana’s oldest resident credits good food, ‘the Good Book’ for long life” – Journal & Courier, 11 July 2024

* “Community to Celebrate Mary Ransopher’s 112th Birthday” – Boone County Daily News, 29 November 2024

GALLERY