BIOGRAPHY

Molly Schmidt was born as Amalia Krause in Stony Plain, Edmonton Metropolitan Region, Alberta, Canada, on 22 July 1905. Her parents were Wilhelm ‘’William’’ Krause (1868–1955) and Margaret Schulz (1886–1970), both immigrants from the present-day Poland. She had 10 half-siblings from her father’s first marriage, and 11 younger full siblings. In Canada, she graduated the eighth grade.

In 1923, when she was 18 years old, her family moved to the United States and settled in Chehalis, Washington, where her paternal uncle lived. The family had car problems while traveling, and the family had to stay in Ellensburg for several weeks while Amalia and one of her brothers went to work to earn money to finish the trip. She worked as a clerk in a five-and-dime store. Shortly after arriving in Chehalis, she met George Stohr, whom she would end up marrying in 1927. The couple had two sons, George (born 1928) and Donald (born 1932). The family lived in Aberdeen, Washington, for a time, where Stohr worked at a mill. They divorced in the 1930s or 1940s, and she moved back to Chehalis.

In 1945, a friend told her that her brother, Albert Schmidt, needed a cook at his farm near Ritzville. Schmidt became her second husband in December 1945, and their son Charles was born the following year.

Her husband died of a heart attack in 1974. She was a member of Emmanuel Lutheran church, where she taught Sunday school for many years.

Molly Schmidt passed away in Ritzville, Washington, USA, on 8 May 2017. She was survived by two sons, four granddaughters, 11 great-grandchildren and six great-great-grandchildren.

RECOGNITION

On 27 December 2015, following the death of 110-year-old Katherine Gomery, she became the oldest (known) living person in the U.S. state of Washington.

Her age was validated by LongeviQuest on 27 May 2023.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Molly Krause Schmidt” – FindAGrave

* “Ritzville woman celebrates 110th birthday” – The Spokesman-Review, 23 July 2015

* “Molly Schmidt” – Danekas Funeral Home, May 2017

GALLERY