| Herlda Senhouse | |
 | |
| Birth: | 28 February 1911 Piedmont, West Virginia, USA |
| Death: | 16 November 2024 Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA |
| Age: | 113 years, 262 days |
| Country: |  USA
|
| Validated | |
Herlda Senhouse (née Fairfax; 28 February 1911 - 16 November 2024) was an American supercentenarian whose age is validated by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG). At the time of her death, she was the oldest known living person in the U.S. state of Massachusetts.
Biography[]
Herlda Senhouse was born in Piedmont, West Virginia, USA on 28 February 1911 to John and Isabella "Belle" (née Saunders) Fairfax. Both of her parents died by the time she was six years of age. At the age of 16, Senhouse moved to Woburn, Massachusetts, USA, to an uncle and aunt's house. In 1931, she became the first in her family to graduate high school. At the age of 25, she married William Senhouse, who died in January 1998; they had no children.
Later in her life, Senhouse founded what was Boston's Clique Club, a social club of dancers and musicians to help educate Black students. She helped countless Black students pay for everything from books to college tuition.
On her 110th birthday in 2021, Senhouse could recall events from her childhood, including the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic. When asked for her secret to long life, Senhouse said "do your best to resolve issues, but if you can't fix it, forget it, let it go – that's how you get through life. Limit the stress."
At the age of 112, Senhouse was still able to walk with the help of a walker. Around May 2023, Senhouse was interviewed for a study regarding why so few centenarians have Alzheimer’s disease. In the fall of 2023, Senhouse fell ill and had to stay in the hospital for a short while. She fell ill again shortly before her 113th birthday, which she celebrated at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Needham, Massachusetts. She credits her longevity to a stress-free life and having no children.
Herlda Senhouse died in her sleep on 16 November 2024 in Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA, at the age of 113 years, 262 days. She had been the oldest known living person in the US state of Massachusetts since the death of Hazel Plummer on 25 May 2023 and the second-oldest known living person in the United States at the time of her death, after Naomi Whitehead.
Gallery[]
References[]
- GRG World Supercentenarian Rankings List Gerontology Research Group
- Members of the Clique Club Northeastern University Library
- Oldest Woman In New England Celebrates 109th Birthday CBS Boston, 28 February 2020
- History & Hope: At 110, Herlda Senhouse shares life of music, activism and hope The Telegraph, 15 February 2021
- Massachusetts woman celebrates 110th birthday WCVB, 28 February 2021
- MA woman celebrates 111th birthday KRDO, 28 February 2022
- Massachusetts community throws surprise birthday party for 112-year-old resident WCVB, 28 February 2023
- US Woman Celebrates 112th Birthday, Friends Throw Surprise Party NDTV, 28 February 2023
- Cracking an intriguing secret of centenarians, why so few are ravaged by Alzheimer’s disease Stat News, 8 May 2023
- Wellesley seniors treated to Thanksgiving dinner by firefighters and friends The Swellesley Report. 21 November 2023
- Herlda Senhouse, Wellesley's oldest resident, is back home and needs our help The Swellesley Report, 9 December 2023
- Happy 113th birthday to Wellesley’s oldest resident, Herlda Senhouse The Swellesley Report, 29 February 2024
- Woman celebrating 113th birthday credits not having children as secret to her longevity WLOX, 29 February 2024
- Herlda Senhouse, the second-oldest U.S. resident, dies at age 113 Apnews, 18 November 2024