BIOGRAPHY

Willie Mae Avery was born in Newton, North Carolina, USA, on 28 May 1915. Her parents were Fred Avery and Eve Ransour. She attended grade school through the eighth grade. In 1937, her mother moved to Northwest Washington, D.C., where she raised her and her four siblings as a single parent.

As a young woman, she developed an interest in the medical field and aspired to become an operating room technician. She studied at George Washington Hospital for three years, eventually working her way up to the position of medical technician. Later in her career, she received training to become an operating room technician.

After retiring in the mid-1980s, she became a missionary at Walker Memorial Baptist Church. When asked about the secret to her long and fulfilling life, she replied, “Working hard and just doing a lot of good things for the Lord after I retired.”

RECOGNITION

Her age was verified by Eli Logan, and validated by LongeviQuest on 2 June 2025.

ATTRIBUTION

* “DC’s oldest resident celebrates her 107th birthday” – FOX 5 DC, 25 May 2022

* “Special visit with DC centenarian, 107-year-old Ms. Willie Mae Avery” – WJLA, 22 September 2022

* “DC’s oldest resident, Willie Mae Avery, celebrates 110th birthday” – Yahoo, 29 May 2025

GALLERY