BIOGRAPHY

Merah Smith was born in Saint Mary, Jamaica, on 9 November 1912.

In the 1930s, she met her husband James and soon married him, but he passed away from stomach cancer in the 1950s. The couple had three children: Irene (aged 87 in 2022), Tony (aged 76 in 2022), and Icha (aged 64 in 2022). She worked as a nurse.

In 1963, she emigrated to the UK.

At the age of 103, she traveled to Jamaica for a two-week holiday.

Smith credits a long life to eating chicken, fruit, and vegetables, and practicing her faith. She took part in kickboxing until she was 103 and stopped on doctor’s orders because she developed a knee problem. At the age of 110, she had six grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren.

Merah Smith currently lives in Croydon, Greater London, England, UK.

RECOGNITION

Her age was verified by Stefan Maglov, and validated by LongeviQuest on 30 January 2023. Her age was previously validated by the European Supercentenarian Organisation (ESO).

ATTRIBUTION

GALLERY