BIOGRAPHY

Ollie Roberts was born in Garrett, Kentucky, USA, on 17 January 1906, to parents John Henderson Neeley (1886–1964) and Elizabeth Wireman (1885–1970). She had four brothers and one sister, including Nero Neeley (1904–1943), Cora Levering (1912–1943), and Earl Richard Neeley (1915–1960). She spent her formative years in Floyd County, Kentucky.

In 1933, she married Edward A. Hensley, who passed away in 1963. Later that year, on 10 November, she married E.P. Joseph, who passed away in 1982. After raising her children, she worked as a nurse’s aide for seven years at Little Company of Mary – San Pierre and later at Miller’s Merry Manor in Columbia City. A talented seamstress, she created dozens of quilts. She was a devoted member of the Pentecostal Church in Columbia City and an active member of the Daughters of Rebekah (Rebekahs).

Ollie Roberts passed away at Lutheran Life Villages at Pine Valley, Fort Wayne, Indiana, on 30 April 2016, at the age of 110 years, 104 days. She was survived by her son, Paul E. Hensley Welch, and a daughter, Barbara Jean McNulty, as well as eight grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, four great-great-grandchildren, and a sister, Myrtle England.

RECOGNITION

Her age was verified by Jimmy Lindberg and Eli Logan, and validated by LongeviQuest on 8 March 2025.

ATTRIBUTION

* John Henderson Neeley – Find A Grave

* “Ollie Roberts is turning 109 this year” – WANE 15 News, 16 January 2015

* Ollie Roberts Obituary – The Post and Mail, May 2016

GALLERY