1908 Archives

LongeviQuest is delighted to announce the age validation of Avicia Thorpe of the United States at age 112. She was born in Danville, Virginia, United States on 16 April 1908. She was a sister and a wife.

On her wedding day.
(Source: nbc29)

Thorpe graduated at the top of her class at Holbrook Street Presbyterian School and earned a bachelor’s degree in social science with honors from Bluefield State College. She taught English at Westmoreland High School from 1933 to 1936 and then continued at John M. Langston High School until 1966.

Thorpe passed away in Danville, Virginia, USA, on 24 December 2020, at the age of 112 years, 252 days.

On 16 June 2018, following the death of 112-year-old Lillian Stubbs, she became the oldest known living person in the U.S. state of Virginia.

LongeviQuest congratulates Avicia Thorpe’s family on her posthumous recognition.

For more information, please view Avicia Thorpe’s Directory Profile here.

LongeviQuest is delighted to report the age validation of Fern Preston of the United States at age 110. She was born in Lorain, Ohio, United States on 24 June 1908. She was a wife and a mother to 4 sons.

Preston graduated from Lakeview High School in 1926 as part of the third graduating class. Throughout her life, she worked at Squire Music making violin strings, in the Lakeview High School cafeteria, and as a homemaker raising her children.

(Source: Farley Estes and Dowdle Funeral Directors)

Preston passed away in Battle Creek, Michigan, USA, on 4 November 2018, at the age of 110 years, 133 days. She was survived by two sons, nine grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren.

LongeviQuest congratulates Fern Preston’s family on her posthumous recognition.

For more information, please view Preston’s Directory Profile here.

LongeviQuest is pleased to announce the age validation of Marie LeVan of the United States at age 111. She was born in Franklin Township, Carbon County, Pennsylvania, United States on 3 September 1908.

LeVan graduated from the University of Saint Joseph in 1936 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She went on to earn Master of Arts and Master of Education degrees from Trinity College and the University of Hartford, respectively. LeVan also pursued further graduate studies at the Southern University of Connecticut and the Gesell Institute in New Haven.

As a young woman.
(Source: Record-Journal)

LeVan was a dedicated educator who spent her career teaching a variety of subjects. This includes teaching English, French, Latin, American History, and Psychology. She also served as Dean of Girls, School Psychologist, and Director of Pupil Personnel in the Meriden School System. In 2016, she received recognition for her 70 years of active membership and leadership from Soroptimist International of the Americas, a service organization committed to improving the lives of women and girls. In 2018, she was recognized by the South Congregational Church as their longest-living member (having joined in 1924).

LeVan passed away in Meriden, Connecticut, USA, on 29 August 2019, five days shy of her 111th birthday.

LongeviQuest congratulates Marie LeVan’s family on her posthumous recognition.

For more information, please view LeVan’s Directory Profile here.

LongeviQuest is pleased to announce the age validation of Hazel Nilson of the United States at age 111. She was born in Chicago, Illinois, United States on 21 August 1908 to German-born parents. After high school, she and her future husband enrolled in a physical education school affiliated with Indiana University. They married in 1932 and had two sons. In 1964, they retired to a house on Stone Lake in Wisconsin.

With her husband.
(Source: apg-wi.com)

Nilson kept driving until she was 104 and lived independently until she moved to New Hampshire at 106. She was a devout member of the First Lutheran Church of Stone Lake and led exercise classes at her assisted living facility. Nilson also regularly attended the Kearsarge Community Presbyterian Church in New London, New Hampshire.

Nilson passed away after a short hospitalization in Sunapee, New Hampshire, USA, on 20 November 2019, at the age of 111 years, 91 days. At the time of her death, she was the oldest living person in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. She was survived by two daughters-in-law, six grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren.

LongeviQuest congratulates Hazel Nilson’s family on her posthumous recognition.

For more information, please view Nilson’s Directory Profile here.

LongeviQuest is pleased to announce the age validation of Genevieve Duffy of the United States at age 111. She was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States on 9 May 1908. She was a sister, a wife, and a mother to 1 daughter

In an interview, Duffy recalled peering through holes in a fence to watch scenes being filmed at Pathe Films in Jersey City. She and her childhood friends often sat on the curb outside the studios and ended up appearing in the background of silent films. Duffy attended nursing school outside of Philadelphia. She then returned to her home state to work as an obstetrics nurse. Following her marriage in the 1930s, she decided to leave her job to become a stay-at-home mother. During this time, Duffy occasionally took on private nursing assignments.

Throughout her life.
(Source: LifeBridge Health)

In her 50s, Duffy returned to the workforce. She took a job in a home furnishings store and developed a keen interest in interior design. In her 70s, Duffy frequently prepared evening meals for the nuns at St. John Catholic Church in Westminster. She also walks daily to attend Mass.

Duffy passed away in Westminster, Maryland, USA, on 28 June 2019, at the age of 111 years, 50 days. She was survived by her daughter, two grandsons, and six great-grandchildren. At the time of her death, Duffy was the second-oldest known living person in the U.S. state of Maryland, behind Downing Kay.

LongeviQuest congratulates Genevieve Duffy’s family on her posthumous recognition.

For more information, please view Mrs. Duffy’s Directory Profile here.

LongeviQuest is delighted to announce the age validation of Goldie Small of the United States at age 110. She was born in Paris, New York, United States, on 1 April 1908. Small grew up on the family farm in Paris, where she attended a one-room schoolhouse until the eighth grade. She then completed high school in Waterville, New York.

In 1927, Small graduated from the Eastman School of Dental Hygiene in Rochester. She worked as a dental hygienist for a short time but lost her job during the Great Depression, when people could no longer afford dental care. In 1941, Small got married, and together they had two children. The family moved to New Milford, Pennsylvania, where Small lived for the next 70 years.

(Source: JA McCormack Sons Funeral Home Inc)

Small was very involved in her community. She is an active member of the United Methodist Church, the Eastern Star, and the New Milford Library, where she served as librarian for over 30 years. She stopped driving at the age of 102 and moved to an independent living apartment at Good Shepherd Village in Endwell.

Small passed away in Endwell, New York, USA, on 20 March 2019, at the age of 110 years, 353 days. She was survived by her two children, six grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.

LongeviQuest congratulates Goldie Small’s family on her posthumous recognition.

For more information, please view Mrs. Small’s Directory Profile here.

LongeviQuest is pleased to announce the age validation of Rochelle Pope of the United States at age 110. She was born in Sampson County, North Carolina, United States on 9 March 1908. Pope was a wife and a mother to 4 children.

Rochelle Pope on her 109th birthday.
(Source: The Fayetteville Observer)

Pope attended Pineland School for Girls in the 1920s. She earned her education degree from what was then East Carolina Teachers College in Greenville. She got her first teaching job in Sampson County. Pope then worked at the Harnett County Schools system, teaching fourth through seventh grades. She also served as principal of Long Branch School, which was just a mile from her home. Pope has been a member of Divine St. United Methodist Church since 1942. Over the years, she has taught Sunday school, served on the Board of Trustees, and contributed to nearly every other committee in the church.

Pope passed away in Dunn, North Carolina, USA, on 14 April 2018, at the age of 110 years, 36 days. She was survived by a son and a daughter, 11 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren.

LongeviQuest congratulates Rochelle Pope’s family on her posthumous recognition.

For more information, please view Pope’s Directory Profile here.

LongeviQuest is pleased to announce the age validation of Gladys Schlossman at 111 years old. She was an American supercentenarian born on 7 February 1908 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Glady got her Bachelor of Arts degree from Northwestern University where she was admitted to Delta Mu Delta. It is a prestigious international business honor society that recognizes academic excellence among students. She was also included into Phi Chi Theta which is a professional co-educational society in the field of business and economics. Gladys was also a member of the American Society of Women Accountants.

Undated.
(Source: The Dignity Memorial)

On 14 November 1931, she was married to Arthur Schlossman and the two of them had no children together. Aside from being a bookworm, Gladys loves to travel with her three sisters and her husband. Together they explored Europe and the United States and would spend winters in Florida with Arthur.

Her husband passed away on 25 January 1995. On the other hand, Mrs. Schlossman died on 3 March 2019 in Crystal Lake, Illinois, USA, when she was 111 years and 24 days old.

For more information, please visit Gladys Schlossman’s Directory Profile here.

LongeviQuest is pleased to announce the age validation of Alice Christina Schroeder Foelkel at 110 years of age. She was a Brazilian supercentenarian born on 21 May 1908 in Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.

She was born to parents who were of German descent.

On her 110th birthday in 2018.
(Source: Tribuna de Jundiaí)

Alice Christina Schroeder Foelkel passed away on 5 June 2018 in Jundiaí, São Paulo, Brazil. She was 110 years and 15 days old at the time of her death.

For more information, please view Alice Christina Schroeder Foelkel’s Directory Profile here.

LongeviQuest is pleased to announce the age validation of Doris Sperber at 111 years old. She was an American supercentenarian born on 20 January 1908 in Manhattan, New York, USA.

She was known as Dora Jablonsky before getting married to Reuben Sperber in 1932. The couple then had four sons together while living in Florida for 30 years. After getting married, she worked with the New York Social Services before transitioning into the roles of being a mother, homemaker, and assistant for her husband’s accounting practice.

In the 1940s, with her husband.
(Source: The Jewish News of Northern California)

When she was 100 years old, she chose to have a bat mitzvah to honor her Jewish faith in 2008.

Doris Sperber passed away on 9 May 2019 in San Francisco, California, USA, when she was 111 years old. At the time of her death, she was survived by her four sons, eight grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

For more information, please view Doris Sperber’s Directory Profile here.