BIOGRAPHY

Ruth Mendelson was born as Ruth Levy in the neighborhood of Flatbush in Brooklyn, New York City, USA, on 28 March 1910. She had three siblings. As an elderly lady, she could recall a moment during World War I when her family and neighbors in Brooklyn feared that Germans were overhead. All the mothers took the children into the basement, closed the blinds to darken the room, so they wouldn’t be visible. By the 10th grade, she had left school to work in office jobs and support her family. Her sister Pearl passed away during the flu pandemic of 1928.

In 1932, she married Benjamin D. Bender. In 1937, they moved to Los Angeles, where they got employed at the Hollywood studios and eventually made their home in North Hollywood in 1940. They had two sons, Robert and Earl. Her first husband passed away in 1960. At some point, she remarried Jerome Mendelson, whom she also outlived. In her free time, she enjoyed playing golf, skating, and taking a walk nearly every morning. She maintained a healthy diet, emphasizing “eating right,” with a preference for poached salmon and vegetables.

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Mendelson’s family creatively marked her 110th birthday by gathering outside her window. They sang “Happy Birthday” and displayed a sign saying, “Happy 110th Birthday, Nana!”

Ruth Mendelson passed away in Los Angeles, California, USA, on 20 November 2020, at the age of 110 years, 237 days. She was survived by her two sons, five grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren.

RECOGNITION

Her age has not been validated by LongeviQuest.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Sherman Oaks’ Ruth Mendelson recommends lots of laughing at 104” – Los Angeles Daily News, 28 March 2014

* “San Fernando Valley mother turned 110 and coronavirus couldn’t stop family from celebrating” – Los Angeles Daily News, 8 April 2020

* “Ruth Mendelson Memoriam” – Legacy/Los Angeles Times, December 2020

GALLERY