LongeviQuest is pleased to announce the age validation of Chiyo Matsuura of Japan at age 111. She was born in Japan on 2 January 1912. She was a wife and a mother.
Despite suffering a stroke at 99 in January 2011, Matsuura made a full recovery thanks to timely medical care and rehabilitation. Later that year, she received special recognition for her age and resilience. Both Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and the city mayor presented her with congratulatory letters on Respect for the Aged Day.
Matsuura at the age of 103. (Source: blog goo)
Maintaining her independence, Matsuura continued to visit daycare twice a week in 2013 at the age of 101. Despite the frigid Hokkaido winters, she would stand outside her home, waiting for her caregivers to arrive. Assisted by her cane, she would then get into the car by herself. On her better days, she even enjoyed walks around the neighborhood. Even at 103 in 2015, she remained able to walk independently with the help of her walker. In September 2022, she was reported as the sixth-oldest living person in Hokkaido Prefecture.
Chiyo Matsuura passed away in Asahikawa City, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan, on 30 January 2023, at the age of 111 years, 28 days.
LongeviQuest congratulates Chiyo Matsuura’s family on her posthumous recognition.
For more information, please view Matsuura’s Directory Profile here.
LongeviQuest is pleased to announce the age validation of Fumie Suzuki Japan at age 111. She was born in Ōtaki, Chiba Prefecture, Japan on 20 June 1912. Suzuki pursued studies in etiquette at a mansion in Tokyo, where she met her future husband.
After marrying, the couple moved to Kanda, Tokyo. They evacuated back to her hometown in Chiba Prefecture with their four young children on March 10, 1945, the day before the Tokyo air raids. They lived in Chiba for several years after World War II and had their youngest child in 1947. In 1949, they returned to Shibuya, Tokyo. After raising her children, she devoted her time to caring for her grandchildren, traveling regularly between her children’s homes in Tokyo, Chiba, Saitama, and Kanagawa. Known for her straightforward personality, Suzuki consistently instilled the value of honesty in her children, teaching them that “lying is not good” and emphasizing the importance of living a life with integrity.
At the age of 111. (Source: Courtesy of the nursing home)
In her early 80s, Suzuki moved to Atsugi City in Kanagawa Prefecture, close to her eldest son’s home. She chose to live independently and continued to pursue various hobbies. She also developed a passion for creating picture letters. Suzuki also frequently traveled with her children throughout her later years, venturing to destinations like Hakone and Atami until her late 90s. Until the age of 107, she enjoyed crafting letters, making dolls, and engaging in various handicrafts. At 107, she suffered a fall at home, resulting in a broken hip. After a two-month hospitalization, she moved into a nursing home in Aikawa Town.
In September 2023, Suzuki was reported as the fifth-oldest living person in Kanagawa Prefecture.
For more information, please view Fumie Suzuki’s Directory Profile here.
LongeviQuest is pleased to announce the age validation of Akino Ueda at 111 years old. She is a Japanese supercentenarian known as the oldest resident in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, Japan.
Akino was born on 5 November 1912 in Japan.
In September 2019, aged 106. (Source: Sumida Ward Public Relations)
During her 110th birthday, it was reported that she was still able to eat some fluids and jellies by herself. In September 2023, Akino was recognized as the oldest living resident of Sumida Ward in Tokyo. Because of this, she was visited by the mayor of the ward. A bouquet of flowers and a congratulatory letter were sent to her family on her behalf as she is currently in a nursing home.
For more information, please visit Akino Ueda’s Directory Profile here.
LongeviQuest is pleased to announce the age validation of Shizuko Kiyuna of Japan at age 111. She was born in Chatan, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan on 10 June 1912. After graduating from school, she spent several years helping her parents cultivate sugar cane fields. She married at the age of 17 and had four children.
Kiyuna (second from the left) with her family in 1960, at the age of 48. (Source: Courtesy of the family)
While her husband was deployed to the Sino-Japanese War, Kiyuna remained in Okinawa. She patiently waited for his return while caring for their young children. She wrote a letter to her husband’s captain. Impressed by her letter, the captain took steps to enhance her husband’s standing within the military. Kiyuna’s family admired her strength and determination, recognizing her role in supporting her husband’s success behind the scenes during his military service. During World War II, her husband remained in Chatan Town as a civil servant. Even after the war, Kiyuna continued to support her husband in his role, managing household duties, raising their children, and maintaining a strong passion for farming. Her dedication to farming and her unwavering work ethic were so profound that she often found it difficult to take the time to attend parent-teacher conferences at her children’s schools.
Kiyuna opened a small general store called “Kiyuna Shōten” around 1957. She ran the store until she was 60 years old. After retiring, she built a house near the store. Kiyuna filled the front garden with orchids, azaleas, and other flowers while growing vegetables in the back garden. Even into her 90s, she continued to pursue various interests, including playing the Ryukyu koto and practicing calligraphy. Her calligraphy was praised for its beauty and featured on the cover of a history book about Shimoseido in Chatan Town. The book also acknowledged her establishment of Kiyuna Shōten as a significant part of the town’s history. Despite her age, Kiyuna maintained her appearance. She was always applying makeup, dressing elegantly, carrying a handbag, and walking to her son’s store every day. She instilled the importance of grooming in her granddaughters, gifting them with lipstick upon marriage or childbirth.
Kiyuna’s calligraphy on a history book about Shimoseido in Chatan Town
At the age of 98, Kiyuna moved into a nursing home due to a broken leg. She would return home for the Obon and New Year holidays until around the age of 103. Even at 106, she could still use her wheelchair independently and would make daily rounds to greet the other residents of the care home. At 111 years old, she has a healthy appetite and enjoys spending time with her fellow residents in the living room. In September 2020, she was reported as the 14th-oldest living person in Okinawa Prefecture.
On 4 July 2023, following the death of 114-year-old Ushi Makishi, she became the oldest living person in Chatan Town.
In September 2023, she was reported as the third-oldest living person in Okinawa Prefecture, behind an anonymous 114-year-old lady and Kikue Taira.
For more information, please view Shizuko Kiyuna’s Directory Profile here.
LongeviQuest is pleased to announce the age validation of Fuyo Baba of Japan at age 111. She was born in Japan on 10 January 1879. After graduating from a girl’s school in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, she married into a merchant family in Ishinomaki. The couple went on to have nine children.
At the age of 100.
On 18 October 1987, at the age of 108, she became the oldest living person in Miyagi Prefecture. As of 1990, she had 29 grandchildren, 48 great-grandchildren, and eight great-great-grandchildren.
Fuyo Baba passed away in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, on 16 February 1990, at the age of 111 years. At the time of death, she was the second-oldest person ever recorded in Miyagi Prefecture, only after Tome Horigome (1857–1968). She was also the third-oldest living person in Japan, behind Waka Shirahama and Rin Aoyagi.
LongeviQuest congratulates Fuyo Baba’s family on her posthumous recognition.
For more information, please view Baba’s Directory Profile here.
LongeviQuest is pleased to announce the age validation of Sueko Katsu at 111 years old. She is a Japanese supercentenarian known as the current oldest living person in Kagoshima Prefecture.
Sueko Katsu was born on 26 March 1912 in Setouchi, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.
In 1937, she was married to Seiko Katsu and had five children with him.
At the age of 25, with her parents, siblings, and a niece. (Source: Courtesy of the family)
After World War II, she and her husband engaged into agricultural endeavors, Amami Islands Tofu shop, and a textile factory. The traditional sewing factory had three looms near their home where local housewives were engaged in sewing Oshima Tsumugi textiles while singing.
At the age of 107, she fell and suffered a broken so she made a decision to move into a nursing home.
She is currently residing in Setouchi, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.
For more information, please visit Sueko Katsu’s Directory Profile here.
LongeviQuest is pleased to announce the age validation of Mine Mutō of Japan at age 111. She was born in Osade Village, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan on 14 December 1883. Mutō was a wife and a mother to 10 children. On 21 December 1989, following the death of 106-year-old Naka Kobayashi of Akeno village, Mutō became the oldest living person in Yamanashi Prefecture.
In September 1992, when she was 108 years old, the governor of Yamanashi Prefecture visited her to celebrate Respect for the Aged Day. She was in good health at the time of the visit, but she became bedridden the following year. In December 1993, she celebrated her 110th birthday, becoming the first (known) supercentenarian in Yamanashi Prefecture. Subsequently, she became the first person in the Prefecture to reach the age of 111.
Mutō passed away in Yamanashi City, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, on 2 March 1995, at the age of 111 years, 78 days.
Mutō remained the sole recorded supercentenarian in Yamanashi Prefecture for over 15 years following her passing. It was not until April 2010 that Masa Shimizu (1900–2011) became the second supercentenarian in the Prefecture. In January 2018, Natsu Kotsuka (1906–2018) surpassed Mutō’s final age, thereby becoming the new oldest person ever from Yamaguchi Prefecture.
LongeviQuest congratulates Mine Mutō’s family on her posthumous recognition.
For more information, please view Mutō’s Directory Profile here.
LongeviQuest is delighted to announce that Idaho’s oldest known living person turned 111 years old. Sally Ashman’s family celebrated her milestone with a lobster dinner. She is currently the oldest known living person in the U.S. state of Idaho.
On her 110th birthday in 2022. (Source: The Tribune-Democrat)
Sally Ashman was born into a prominent family in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, on November 23, 1912. Her grandfather owned a significant portion of the land before development, and her father served as the first president of Johnstown Bank and Trust. Ashman excelled in her studies, graduating as valedictorian from both Cochran Junior High School and Johnstown High School. Her academic achievements continued at Bryn Mawr College, where she earned a cum laude degree in 1934.
Ashman got married in 1936, and the couple had three children. Her husband would later become the head administrator of Conemaugh Valley Memorial Hospital. While her husband dedicated his career to the medical facility, Ashman devoted many years to volunteering there.
Ashman remained independent until she turned 100. She lived in Florida full-time until 2012, when she relocated to Idaho Falls, Idaho, to live with her daughter.
For more information, please view Sally Ashman’s Directory Profile here.
LongeviQuest is pleased to announce the age validation of Simonne Leduc at 111 years old. She was a Canadian supercentenarian known as the oldest living person in Quebec at the time of her death.
Leduc was born on 31 October 1911 Saint-Timothée, Quebec, Canada.
At some point in her life, she married Orphir Leduc with whom she had three children with.
Undated. (Source: Résidences Funéraires Goyer)
Simonne passed away on 26 October 2023 in Laval, Quebec, Canada.
For more information, please visit Simonne Leduc’s Directory Profile here.
Anna Natella’s 111th Birthday Preparation (Source: Facebook)
Anna Natella is an Italian-born American supercentenarian born on 21 November 1912 in Irsina, Basilicata, Italy. She immigrated to the United States with her family when she was 13 years old. She lived in New York and later in Milburn, New Jersey. Natella was hard-working even as a young girl. She had to drop out of school to help support her family and she taught herself how to read and write in English using a dictionary.
Natella married in 1937 and had two daughters. In her later years, she and her husband moved to Florida. Natella eventually moved into an assisted living facility. At the age of 107, she was still able to walk unassisted and climb stairs every day.
On 11 June 2023, following the death of 113-year-old Ada Avila, she became the oldest known living person in the U.S. state of Florida.
For more information, please view Anna Natella’s Directory Profile here.