Stella Lennox

BIOGRAPHY

Stella Lennox was born Stella Mae Harriett Haraldson in Aneta, North Dakota, USA, on 31 January 1908, to parents Henry Haraldson (1884–1968) and Caroline Lang (1881–1966). She had five younger brothers, including Finnemore Cooper Haroldson (1914–1964), Dr. Quentin Haraldson (1921–1997), and Comet Haraldson Sr. (1926–2010). She grew up in her birthplace, with parents of Swedish and Norwegian heritage. Her father owned the first Ford car agency in the area and even served as the town mayor for a time. She helped her mother care for her younger brothers and learned to sew so she could mend their shirts.

As a teenager, she enrolled in a three-year nursing training program at St. Luke’s Hospital in Fargo, North Dakota. The training was rigorous—they worked seven days a week, eight hours a day, with only three weeks off per year. She graduated in 1930 during the Great Depression and, despite the economic hardships, secured a job as a bank teller in Aneta, earning $50 a week.

When the town’s residents discovered she was a trained nurse, they would often seek her medical advice while passing through the bank. Eventually, she moved to Chicago, where she earned a certification in surgical assistance at Michael Reese Hospital. While in Chicago, she met her future husband, Hugh Everett Lennox (1899–1986). The couple married on 19 June 1932 at a minister’s house and honeymooned in the Northeast, visiting Atlantic City, Niagara Falls, the Empire State Building, and the Statue of Liberty. In 1942, during World War II, she began working at Cook County Hospital.

The couple settled in Streamwood, a suburb of Chicago, where he owned a parking garage, and she could easily commute to the city for work. After her husband’s passing in November 1986, she remained near Chicago. It wasn’t until her early 100s that she moved to Rockford to live with her granddaughter, Brenda. She was a devoted member of The Salvation Army Temple Corps for over 75 years.

Stella Lennox passed away in Rockford, Illinois, USA, on 6 December 2020, at the age of 112 years, 310 days. She was survived by six grandchildren, 16 grandchildren, and 17 great-grandchildren.

RECOGNITION

Lennox’s age was validated by the Gerontology Research Group on 10 March 2020. The validation was recognized by LongeviQuest.

On 25 April 2020, following the passing of 113-year-old Lisl Schaaf, she became the oldest (known) living person in the U.S. state of Illinois, at the age of 112 years, 85 days.

ATTRIBUTION

* Stella Mae Haraldson Lennox – Find A Grave

* “Time has ‘flown by’ for 107-year-old Stella Lennox of Rockford” – Rockford Register Star, 13 June 2015

* “Rockford woman celebrates 110th birthday” – WIFR, 3 February 2018

* Stella Mae Harriet Lennox Obituary – Grace Funeral & Cremation Services

GALLERY

[crp limit=’4′ ]