Supercentenarian Profile

Milly Skjordahl

Born:

1913-07-10

Hammond, Lake County, Indiana

United States

Died:

2024-03-17

Tucson, Arizona

United States

✔ Age Certified by LongeviQuest

Mildred “Milly” Skjordahl (née Cienke) was an American supercentenarian who was the oldest known living person in the state of Arizona.

BIOGRAPHY

Skjordahl was born in Hammond, Indiana on 10 July 1913 (claimed 16 June), to Polish-born parents Theodore (1887-1987) and Pauline Cienke (née Przydial; 1890-1939). Her older sister lived to be 96, and her father lived to be 100. While she claimed to have been born on 16 June 1913, her birth record suggests she was instead born on July 10th. On 16 July 1938, she married Arthur Jacob Skjordahl, the son of Norwegian immigrants, in Cook County, Illinois. The couple had two sons, Scott and Jeffrey. She was widowed in 1980.

At the age of 70, Skjordahl took up ballroom dancing, and won many trophies in a variety of competitions. As a centenarian, she started painting, which became a hobby after giving up ballroom dancing. She lived in Florida for several years before moving to Catalina Foothills, a small community north of Tucson, Arizona.

On her 110th birthday, Skjordahl was visited by family and friends. She stated that the secret to her longevity was to “keep busy and keep breathing.”

RECOGNITION

It is currently unclear when Skjordahl became Arizona’s oldest resident, but it is believed that she may have succeeded Irene Eskey on 18 February 2022. Upon her own passing, she was likely succeeded by Carmen Slough.