Eva Morris
Encyclopedia
Eva Morris née Sharpe was the oldest recognised person in the world, by the Guinness Book of Records
, from December 1999 until November 2000. She was a native of Stone, Staffordshire
, England.
Morris had become the oldest person in the UK following the death of Annie Jennings
(12 November 1884 – 20 November 1999), who died only eight days after turning 115. Morris, for her part, died in her sleep at 1.25AM, just six days short of her 115th birthday at the Autumn House Nursing Home in Stone. She was the last surviving person documented as born in 1885 and the person with the earliest birthdate that lived into the year 2000.
There had been claims that a Dominica
n woman, Elizabeth Israel
, was 125 years old, but the Guinness Book of Records said Morris had taken the title because her date of birth could be fully authenticated.
Morris attributed her longevity
to whisky
and boiled onion
s. She was said by friends to enjoy the occasional cigarette
and to have ridden a bicycle
.
She worked as a domestic servant
and was widowed in the 1930s. Morris lived in her own flat until she was 107, when she moved to a nursing home
after a chest infection. Her only child Winnie died of cancer in 1975 at the age of 62. Eva Morris died less than a week before her 115th birthday, making her the woman (and person) closest to have reached this age without actually doing so.
See also
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
, from December 1999 until November 2000. She was a native of Stone, Staffordshire
Stone, Staffordshire
Stone is an old market town in Staffordshire, England, situated about seven miles north of Stafford, and around seven miles south of the city of Stoke-on-Trent. It is the second town, after Stafford itself, in the Borough of Stafford, and has long been of importance from the point of view of...
, England.
Morris had become the oldest person in the UK following the death of Annie Jennings
Annie Jennings
Annie Jennings, née Thomas was a British supercentenarian and the world's second oldest living person, after American Sarah Knauss, at Jennings' death at age 115 years 8 days. Jennings hailed from Chesterfield, Derbyshire where she celebrated her 114th birthday...
(12 November 1884 – 20 November 1999), who died only eight days after turning 115. Morris, for her part, died in her sleep at 1.25AM, just six days short of her 115th birthday at the Autumn House Nursing Home in Stone. She was the last surviving person documented as born in 1885 and the person with the earliest birthdate that lived into the year 2000.
There had been claims that a Dominica
Dominica
Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...
n woman, Elizabeth Israel
Elizabeth Israel
Mione Elizabeth George Israel , known as Mione "Minette" George for much of her life, and as Elizabeth Israel and Ma Pampo later in life, was the focus of one of the most widely publicized longevity claims of recent years.-Biography:Israel was born in Dominica...
, was 125 years old, but the Guinness Book of Records said Morris had taken the title because her date of birth could be fully authenticated.
Morris attributed her longevity
Longevity
The word "longevity" is sometimes used as a synonym for "life expectancy" in demography or known as "long life", especially when it concerns someone or something lasting longer than expected ....
to whisky
Whisky
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and corn...
and boiled onion
Onion
The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...
s. She was said by friends to enjoy the occasional cigarette
Cigarette
A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
and to have ridden a bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
.
She worked as a domestic servant
Domestic worker
A domestic worker is a man, woman or child who works within the employer's household. Domestic workers perform a variety of household services for an individual or a family, from providing care for children and elderly dependents to cleaning and household maintenance, known as housekeeping...
and was widowed in the 1930s. Morris lived in her own flat until she was 107, when she moved to a nursing home
Nursing home
A nursing home, convalescent home, skilled nursing unit , care home, rest home, or old people's home provides a type of care of residents: it is a place of residence for people who require constant nursing care and have significant deficiencies with activities of daily living...
after a chest infection. Her only child Winnie died of cancer in 1975 at the age of 62. Eva Morris died less than a week before her 115th birthday, making her the woman (and person) closest to have reached this age without actually doing so.
See also
- List of British supercentenarians
- List of the verified oldest people
- LongevityLongevityThe word "longevity" is sometimes used as a synonym for "life expectancy" in demography or known as "long life", especially when it concerns someone or something lasting longer than expected ....
- Oldest peopleOldest peopleThis is a list of tables of the verified oldest people in the world in ordinal rank, such as oldest person or oldest man. In these tables, a supercentenarian is considered 'verified' if his or her claim has been validated by an international body that specifically deals in longevity research, such...
- SupercentenarianSupercentenarianA supercentenarian is someone who has reached the age of 110 years. This age is achieved by about one in a thousand centenarians....