BIOGRAPHY

Shizu Okabe was born in Japan on 8 December 1902. She served as a live-in dorm mother at a mother-child dormitory in Sasebo City, where she cared for children and offered guidance to the mothers. Okabe was deeply loved and trusted by the residents; her retirement was even extended by a year at the mothers’ request.

Sasebo City hosts a U.S. naval base, and in 1961, Captain Z. Edwin Hopkins of the U.S. Navy visited the dormitory where Okabe worked. A friendship developed between them, and in 2000, on Okabe’s 98th birthday, Hopkins returned to Japan for the first time in 35 years to celebrate with her, and they remained in touch afterward. Speaking of Okabe, Hopkins said, “I respect Okabe’s personality, which makes her well-liked and familiar to everyone.”

On 2 August 2013, Okabe passed away at the age of 110 years, 237 days.

RECOGNITION

In September 2010, at the age of 107, Okabe was recognized as the seventh-oldest person in Nagasaki Prefecture. By 2011, she was the fifth-oldest, and by 2012, she ranked third.

On 31 July 2013, after the passing of 113-year-old Yoshino Tanaka, Okabe became the oldest living person in Nagasaki Prefecture. She held the title for only two days, until her own passing. Upon her passing, she was succeeded by Shige Fukuhara.

Her age was verified by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW), as well as Ryohei Asano, and validated by LongeviQuest on 31 October 2024.

ATTRIBUTION

* “元米軍軍人が35年ぶりに元寮母を訪問” – Nagasaki Shimbun, 10 December 2000

GALLERY