| Opal Thompson | |
 Thompson on her 112th birthday | |
| Birth: | 13 January 1901 Ripley, Oklahoma, USA |
| Death: | 20 October 2014 Pittsburg, California, USA |
| Age: | 113 years, 280 days |
| Country: |  USA
|
| Validated | |
Opal Mae Thompson (née Cook; 13 January 1901 – 20 October 2014) was an American supercentenarian who was believed to be the oldest living person in California at the time of her death.
Biography[]
Opal Mae Cook was born on 13 January 1901, one of 12 children of James A. Cook (1865–1943) and Nancy Jane Green Cook (1867–1947), in what was then Indian Territory but is now Ripley, Oklahoma. She traveled to Cushing, Oklahoma at the age of 16 to work in a department store. She spent most of her adult life in Long Beach, California where she worked as a waitress.
In 1924, she married Richard Thompson, a fireman on the Santa Fe Railroad and professional wrestler. They had just one son, Richard Clayton Thompson. Opal had purchased the restaurant that she had worked in as a waitress but gave it up due to the birth of her son.
In 1930, Opal's husband was offered a job at Folsom Prison and the couple moved to the Folsom area, living outside the prison for two years and inside for five. Opal recalled that a famous prisoner, Lloyd Sampsell, who was known as the "Black Yacht Bandit", would cook for her family.
After Opal's husband was fired from his job, they moved back to Long Beach, California. Opal worked as a sales clerk in a health food store for over thirty years. She also frequently attended church and taught Sunday school.
Thompson regularly drove until she was 103 years old and took her last drive on her 105th birthday. At the age of 108, when asked the reason for her longevity, she answered "God must have a plan for me."
Thompson attributed her longevity to her healthy eating habits and faith in God. As a supercentenarian, she liked to do word searches and read the newspaper.
Thompson died on 20 October 2014 at the age of 113 years, 280 days, at the Diamond Ridge Healthcare Center nursing home. She had lived there since 2007 after moving to Antioch two years earlier from Long Beach. Following her death, Dominga Velasco became the oldest living resident of California.
Gallery[]
References[]
- Opal May Cook Thompson, 113 Photo Gallery, Gerontology Research Group
- Opal Thompson has see a lot in her 108 years
- Pittsburg: Opal Thompson, California's oldest resident, dies at 113
- Opal Mae Cook Thompson Find A Grave
| California's Oldest Living Person Titleholders (V • E) |
|
Fannie Thomas • Mary Phil Cota • Walter Wilcox • Gregory Pandazes • Mary McKinney • Bertha Blair • Unknown • Zoe Hiehle • Katherine Jones • Amy Harris • Miriam Carpelan • Christian Mortensen • Frances Johns • Clara Huhn • Adelina Domingues • Mary Christian • Emma Taylor • Elma Corning • Margaret Russell • Marion Higgins • Gertrude Baines • Soledad Mexia • Opal Thompson • Dominga Velasco • Florence Boggs • Clarence Matthews • Minnie Whicker • Lucy Mirigian • Mila Mangold • Edie Ceccarelli • Ilse Meingast |