# Who was the oldest person you ever knew? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 21, 2012, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-oldest-person-you-ever-knew/622670 "2012-05-21T23:55:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![A\_Sniveling\_Mess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b19c9b/32.png) [@A\_Sniveling\_Mess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_Sniveling_Mess)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-oldest-person-you-ever-knew/622670/1 "2012-05-21T23:55:41Z")
I guess the title is pretty self-explanatory,but I’d like to add a few requirements: 1.The person had to have been born before 1925; 2.The person had to have been at least 80 years old;and 3.In order to qualify,either you had to have known the person well,or they had to have been at least somewhat famous. Sorry for being so picky.All replies will be appreciated,and thanks for coming to the thread. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-oldest-person-you-ever-knew/622670/2 "2012-05-22T00:04:37Z")
My grandmother was born in 1907. She died in 2012. She was 104 years old. ---
**Author:** ![markdash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@markdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markdash)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-oldest-person-you-ever-knew/622670/3 "2012-05-22T00:10:17Z")
My great-grandmother was born in ~1886, and passed away in ~1990 at age 104. ---
**Author:** ![lizlizliz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/db5fbb/32.png) [@lizlizliz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lizlizliz)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-oldest-person-you-ever-knew/622670/4 "2012-05-22T00:17:41Z")
My cousins’ grandmother (not the one we have in common, but still a big part of my life) is currently 105. ---
**Author:** ![A\_Sniveling\_Mess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b19c9b/32.png) [@A\_Sniveling\_Mess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_Sniveling_Mess)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-oldest-person-you-ever-knew/622670/5 "2012-05-22T00:32:21Z")
> [@lizlizliz](#): > > My cousins’ grandmother (not the one we have in common, but still a big part of my life) is currently 105. Thanks for the post;I was especially glad that you said"…but still a big part of my life…",because unfortunately a lot of people have relatives whose specialness they never realize until that relative’s death.It’s a very sad thing. ---
**Author:** ![A\_Sniveling\_Mess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b19c9b/32.png) [@A\_Sniveling\_Mess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_Sniveling_Mess)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-oldest-person-you-ever-knew/622670/6 "2012-05-22T00:37:04Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > My grandmother was born in 1907. She died in 2012. She was 104 years old. I’m very sorry for your loss Loach.If I may ask,when was your grandmother’s father born?I can understand if you’d rather not tell me,I was just curious. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-oldest-person-you-ever-knew/622670/7 "2012-05-22T00:43:12Z")
“Uncle George”, my great-great grandmother’s little brother, born in 1875, son of a civil war vet. I stayed in his home many times, with his wife, aunt Nettie. They had no running water, just a pump in the kitchen. No indoor plumbing, the outhouse was out back. No electricity, they used kerosene lamps. The stove was wood-burning. Butter was kept in the cellar to keep cool, as was milk. Eggs were harvested from the chickens out back, daily. When we visited, we sang songs, played dominos and checkers and other board games like Carom and Crokinole, and I got to hear stories about the “old days”. I really looked forward to my visits there. But in 1969 he broke his ankle mowing his lawn, and he and Nettie moved to the nursing home where he died in 1972, and she in 1978. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-oldest-person-you-ever-knew/622670/8 "2012-05-22T00:47:57Z")
Never known anyone over 95, though I have known a few folks 90-95. ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-oldest-person-you-ever-knew/622670/9 "2012-05-22T00:50:33Z")
I knew three of my great-grandparents: Old-opa, Old-oma and Gingo. Gingo beat me at tennis when I was 9. We showed her a thong when she was 94, and she said “very pretty, but how do you iron it?” I am so lucky to have known them! Old-opa and Gingo both died at 97, Old-oma died shortly before Old-opa at 94. They weren’t as old as some people mentioned in the thread, but they were awesome and I thought they deserved a special mention for being really old and really awesome 😉 My Old-opa used to tell me how great the future was going to be, and then he would loudly shout “On to the year 2000!” and punch the air. It’s ok he didn’t get to see 2000, because that’s not really what he meant by it anyway, but I wish I could tell him about smart phones and CERN & the LHC. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-oldest-person-you-ever-knew/622670/10 "2012-05-22T00:53:38Z")
My maternal Grandma was 93. My paternal Grandma was 92 [smoker all her life] My paternal Grandpa was 96 [smoker all his life] My paternal Great Grandma was 102. My grandma’s dad was 104. Dame Elizabeth Murdoch is 102. My maternal grandpa died at 84, on a motorcycle. RIP well there ya go, I don’t have access to dates. many more than I can quote like uncles, I know of 3 who reached 90 with one of them 104. Good genes! ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-oldest-person-you-ever-knew/622670/11 "2012-05-22T00:54:23Z")
My Granny was 102 when she died, two and a half years ago. ---
**Author:** ![A\_Sniveling\_Mess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b19c9b/32.png) [@A\_Sniveling\_Mess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_Sniveling_Mess)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-oldest-person-you-ever-knew/622670/12 "2012-05-22T00:56:03Z")
Great post Qadgop.Keep them coming everyone! ---
**Author:** ![A\_Sniveling\_Mess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b19c9b/32.png) [@A\_Sniveling\_Mess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_Sniveling_Mess)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-oldest-person-you-ever-knew/622670/13 "2012-05-22T00:59:08Z")
> [@sisu](#): > > Good genes! Congratulations on having them.:)Thanks for the post too. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-oldest-person-you-ever-knew/622670/14 "2012-05-22T00:59:11Z")
My great grandmother was 99 when she died in 1965. She was the daughter of a polygamist who had three wives and 30 children. She and her sister were married to a polygamist and had 15 children between them. Her sister died in 1920 when she was hit by a streetcar. ---
**Author:** ![A\_Sniveling\_Mess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b19c9b/32.png) [@A\_Sniveling\_Mess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_Sniveling_Mess)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-oldest-person-you-ever-knew/622670/15 "2012-05-22T01:52:08Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > My great grandmother was 99 when she died in 1965. She was the daughter of a polygamist who had three wives and 30 children. She and her sister were married to a polygamist and had 15 children between them. Her sister died in 1920 when she was hit by a streetcar. I’m not quite sure what to say about your reply other than "Thanks for sharing it."Good username too;I don’t think I’ve seen you before on these forums. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-oldest-person-you-ever-knew/622670/16 "2012-05-22T02:02:18Z")
My grandfather: 1882-1984. He died at 102. He was a piker, though, compared to the mother of a friend of mine who is now 106 and still kicking. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-oldest-person-you-ever-knew/622670/17 "2012-05-22T02:20:31Z")
My grandmother lived to be 100 years old. We had a big party on her hundredth birthday; she died about eight months later. I was very close to her growing up but unfortunately she started developing dementia in her 90s and was almost completely gone from reality by the time she turned 100. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-oldest-person-you-ever-knew/622670/18 "2012-05-22T02:21:33Z")
My great-grandmother lived to be 105 (born late in 1900, died in 2006). ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-oldest-person-you-ever-knew/622670/19 "2012-05-22T02:23:54Z")
I think the oldest person that I’ve known is my father, who is 99 and still going reasonably well. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-oldest-person-you-ever-knew/622670/20 "2012-05-22T02:25:22Z")
My grandmother lived to be 96. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-oldest-person-you-ever-knew/622670.md?page=2)