Supercentenarian Profile

Meta Dishman

Born:

1903-06-01

King and Queen County, Virginia

United States

Died:

2017-01-20

Tappahannock, Virginia

United States

✔ Age Certified by LongeviQuest

Meta Dishman was an American supercentenarian. Her age has been validated by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) and recognised by LongeviQuest.

BIOGRAPHY

Meta Dishman was born in King and Queen County, Virginia, USA, on 1 June 1903. She was the youngest of eleven children born to John Richard Holmes and Judy Dell Roane. As a young adult, she made Washington, D.C. her home, where she became one of the city’s first female taxi drivers. She loved driving—especially long trips—and continued to drive until shortly before her 100th birthday.

Dishman was first married to Jeffrey Lowe and later to Lynwood H. Dishman (1908–1984).

During World War II, Dishman worked as a correspondent for the nation’s United States Department of State, transmitting messages that supported the American war effort. She later worked briefly at the White House during the Kennedy Administration and subsequently partnered with her husband in the funeral business in Washington, D.C.

In the 1940s, she moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where she worked in retail before transitioning into nursing at a state institution for children with special needs. She found deep fulfillment in working with children and remained in pediatric nursing until her retirement.

Dishman had a lifelong passion for travel. One of her favorite destinations was Japan, and she also enjoyed traveling throughout the United States. In the late 1980s, she returned to her home state of Virginia, where she became an active member of First Mt. Olive Baptist Church. In 1994, she was appointed a deaconess and faithfully served in that role until declining health made it no longer possible.

Meta Dishman passed away in Tappahannock, Virginia, on 20 January 2017, at the age of 113 years, 233 days.

RECOGNITION

On 22 July 2015, following the passing of Lela Burden, she became the oldest known living person in the U.S. state of Virginia. Upon her own passing, she was succeeded by Lizzie Wood.

Dishman’s age was verified by Anson Davis and Jack Knight, and was validated by the GRG on 29 October 2015.

At the time of her passing, she was the second-oldest living person in the United States, only behind Adele Dunlap.