Supercentenarian Profile

Orma Slack

Born:

1903-02-19

Bracebridge, Ontario

Canada

Died:

2015-04-13

Belleville, Ontario

Canada

✔ Age Certified by LongeviQuest

Orma Mae Slack (née Snider) was a Canadian supercentenarian. Her age has been validated by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) and recognised by LongeviQuest.

BIOGRAPHY

Orma Slack was born in Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada, on 19 February 1903, as the fourth of six children born to parents Franklin Lorne Snider (1859–1934) and Annie Carson.

In 1926, she married William George “Bill” Slack (1902–1988). They had two children: William Edward “Ted” Slack (1931–2017) and Rosemary A. Simpson (1938–1992). In early adulthood, she worked as a teacher but was required to leave her position upon marriage.

Slack and her family moved to Belleville from the Barrie area in the early 1950s after her husband was transferred there by the Canadian Pacific Railway. Shortly after settling in the city, she began a teaching career that would span 20 years. She retired at the age of 64 after a distinguished career in education, during which she became the first female principal in Belleville while serving at Prince of Wales Public School.

In her free time, she loved gardening, and she and her husband were avid travelers. She last went skiing on her 100th birthday. About 18 months later, she typed her autobiography—though she kept it to herself for several months before telling anyone about it. Orma volunteered at the Belleville General Hospital Foundation’s Opportunity Shop thrift store until the age of 104, stopping only because she could no longer find transportation. She lived independently in her own home until the age of 106, when she moved to Westgate Lodge in Belleville.

At the age of 110, it was reported that she had five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. She was a devoted Christian.

Orma Slack passed away in Belleville, Ontario, on 13 April 2015, at the age of 112 years, 53 days.

RECOGNITION

Slack’s age was verified by Anson Davis and validated by the GRG on 6 May 2014.

On 14 January 2015, following the passing of Colombe Benoit-Leclerc, she became the oldest known living person in Canada. Upon her own passing, she was succeeded by Marguerite Wabano.