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Dolly Gibb
Ellen Gibb
Dolly Gibb on her 114th birthday.
Birth: 26 April 1905
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Death: 5 June 2019
North Bay, Ontario, Canada
Age: 114 years, 40 days
Country: CanadaCAN
Validated

Ellen Susan "Dolly" Gibb (née Box; 26 April 1905 – 5 June 2019) was a validated Canadian supercentenarian who was the oldest living person in Canada at the time of her death.

Biography

Ellen "Dolly" Gibb was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, on 26 April 1905. Her parents were John Box and Virginia Beauvette. Her father was a prospector for most of his working life and was one of those seeking fortune in the Klondike gold rush. Her mother died when she was only 5 years old. Gibb and her younger siblings were raised by their father and their oldest sister, Nora. Since then, she has always lived in urban settings, as she has less than fond memories of picking potato bugs on the farm. She has used the nickname Dolly since her late teens.

Ellen Box married Dave Gibb in 1928 and had two daughters with him, Eleanor (1928–1991) and Sue (b. 1939). Dave was a talented metalsmith who worked for the railways in Winnipeg. In 1941, the family moved to the Westfort area of Fort William (now part of Thunder Bay). Her husband died in 1968 at the age of 62. In 2005, Gibb moved to North Bay to live with her daughter Sue and son-in-law Dave.

Gibb spent her first 36 years in Winnipeg, her next 64 years in Thunder Bay and the most recent 14 in North Bay; she never smoked, and never drank until her seventies. Her family attributes her longevity to genetics, eating well but in moderation, and lots of full-fat cream and butter. 

Ellen Gibb had been the oldest living person in Canada since the death of Lilian Cornell on 11 January 2016.

On 26 April 2019, Ellen Gibb celebrated her 114th birthday. On that day, Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli presented her with a celebratory scroll from Premier Doug Ford.

Gibb died in Cassellholme Home for The Aged in North Bay, Ontario, Canada, on 5 June 2019 at the age of 114 years, 40 days.

Gallery

References


Canada's Oldest Living Person Titleholders (VE)

Flore BelandEmma BinghamHerman Smith-JohannsenAgnes MunceNellie ThompsonAlice Sjoquist • Lillian RossMarie-Louise Meilleur • Marie-Louise Meunier • Maria Mallozzi • Zelda McCague • Fanny Martland • Evangeline SaulnierAnne Samson • Julie Winnefred Bertrand • Jennie Fitzgerald • Margaret Fitzgerald • Pearl LutzkoCora Hansen • Yvonne Lamoureux • Merle Barwis • Colombe Benoit-Leclerc • Orma Slack • Marguerite Wabano • Lilian Cornell • Ellen Gibb • Sarah Patenaude-Bruyere • Phyllis Ridgway • Cecile Klein • Shige Mineshiba • Mabel MahHelen DoanGertruda GoreckaHazel Skuce

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