Meta Dishman | |
Dishman at the age of 108 | |
Birth: | 1 June 1903 King & Queen, Virginia, USA |
Death: | 20 January 2017 Tappahannock, Virginia, USA |
Age: | 113 years, 233 days |
Country: | USA |
Validated |
Meta Dishman (née Holmes; 1 June 1903 – 20 January 2017) was an American supercentenarian whose age is validated by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG). At the time of her death, she was the second-oldest validated living American resident and the oldest living African American.
Early life[]
Dishman was born in 1903 in King and Queen County, Virginia, to Jack and Judy Holmes. She had ten other siblings. A few years later, the family relocated to Washington, D.C.
Working career[]
Dishman was one of the first female taxi drivers in the history of Washington D.C., and was still capable of driving well in to her 90s.
Dishman lived in several other states during her life, including Massachusetts. where she worked as a department store employee, a school nurse in Boston, and in the funeral business.
During the Second World War, Dishman worked as a correspondent for the State Department, providing messages that were beneficial for the American war effort.
Personal life & later life[]
At some point between 1920 and 1930, Dishman was married to a Mr. Lowe. She later divorced him and remarried in Washington D.C. on 7 October 1940, this time to Lynwood H. Dishman. In total, she had two children, one of whom was a son was adopted. In 1988, she moved back to her native state of Virginia.
Dishman died on 20 January 2017, aged 113 years, 233 days. At the time of her death, she was the second-oldest validated person living in the United States, behind Adele Dunlap. In addition, she had also been the oldest living African American since the death of Susannah Mushatt Jones on 12 May 2016.
Gallery[]
References[]
- Gerontology Research Group
- Meta Willis Holmes Lowe Dishman All-Obits
- Country Courier, 2 June 2013 (link has expired)