Posted by Jimmy Lindberg 

When I was an active member of the 110 Club about a decade ago, there were still a number of people left from the 1800s. Given that this was a different century, it was engaging for members to count down the end of an era. What was perhaps most amazing that the year 2014 was the first year since 1799 where not a single person from the 1800s passed away. This didn’t mean that there were no people from the 1800s left at the time, as there were in fact six women born in the 1800s who survived the year 2014: Misao Okawa, Gertrude Weaver, Jeralean Talley, Susannah Mushatt Jones and Emma Morano. These women gained some notoriety in media as well for being the last of an era. Now all of them are long gone, with Emma Morano having been the last person from the 1800s and dying over seven years ago.

As its been almost 115 years since the 1900’s decade ended, we once again face the truth that the number of living people born in this decade is dwindling. We started the year 2024 very strong with twelve remaining people born in the 1900’s decade, which was double the number of people remaining from the 1800s on 1 January 2024.

Given a 50 percent annual mortality rate at age 110+, it was expected that the number of people surviving 2024 would be around seven. It for a long time looked that there would be more but a “collapse” in the past month there are now only five people left born in the 1900’s decade.

Who are these people?

Tomiko Itooka (b. 23 May 1908) – 116

Tomiko Itooka of Ashiya, Japan has been the World’s Oldest Living Person since the death of Maria Branyas on 19 August 2024. Itooka has led an active life, playing volleyball in school and climbed mountains in her 70s, pilgrimmaged in her 80s and climbed the long steps of Ashiya Shrine at age 100. Itooka married young and had four children. She managed her husband’s textile factory during World War II.

Inah Canabarro Lucas (b. 8 June 1908) – 116

Sister Inah of Porto Alegre, Brazil became a nun almost a century ago and worked as a teacher in Brazil all the way back before World War II. When she was a child she was so skinny that some did not believe that she would survive childhood. Given that she is now 116 years old and the second oldest person in the world, she sure proved these people wrong.

Elizabeth Francis (b. 25 July 1909) – 115

Elizabeth Francis of Houston, Texas experienced hardship early in life with her mother dying in 1920. She and her five siblings were raised separately in different homes. For Francis this meant moving from her native Louisiana to an aunt in Texas. Francis was a single mother and supported herself and her only daughter. One of her jobs was running a coffee shop at ABC 13 News, from which she retired in 1975. Imagine having been retired for almost 50 years!

Ethel Caterham (b. 21 August 1909) – 115

Ethel Caterham lives in Surrey, England and is the last subject of King Edward VII. She was one of eight children and at age 18 she worked as a nanny to a British family in India for three years, later returning to England. She married a major in the British army and would live in both Hong Kong (where she operated a nursery) and Gibraltar. Caterham drove until she was 97 years old and played bridge even after the age of 100.

Okagi Hayashi (b. 2 September 1909) – 115

Okagi Hayashi is the youngest of the five remaining people from the 1900’s and lives in Toki City, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. She married an elementary school teacher and would have nine children. Hayashi has valued her health for a long time, and in her mid-life she drank homemade green juice every morning and exercised along with her husband. As an octogenarian she enjoyed visiting hot springs and gardening with her friends from when she was a school student. Hayashi also practiced caligraphy into her 90s.

These women have all had highly interesting lives and demonstrate that being health conscious and remaining active might be one of the keys to living long. We do not know for how long these people will be with us but let’s hope for the best and wish them continued health and prosperity!