Leona Tuttle
Encyclopedia
Leona Wilhelmina Tuttle was an American
supercentenarian
.
Tuttle was born as Leona Wilhelmina Sternberg on April 13, 1896, near the town of Bad Axe, Michigan. Her parents, Karl and Marie Amelia Sternberg, were both immigrants from Germany
. She was one of seven children. Sternberg grew up on her parents' 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) farm and attended school in a one room schoolhouse.
Sternberg left at the age of 17. She took a train to Detroit in order to meet her sister. Once in Detroit, she worked as a housekeeper for architect
Louis Kamper
for two years. She later attended the Ferris Institute before taking a job with the Michigan Central Railroad
department for several years. She was able to travel cross country through the free passes which she received through her employer.
Sternberg married her husband, Stanley Tuttle, in 1924. The continued to reside in Detroit for decades, but moved to Florida
part time following Stanley's retirement. Stanley Tuttle died in 1973. Leona Tuttle never remarried. After her husband's death, Tuttle lived with her grown daughters in the Detroit metropolitan area, New Jersey
, Utah
and Florida.
One of Tuttle's main passions was travel. She visited Hawaii
, Germany
, the Grand Canyon
and Yosemite National Park
. Tuttle visited Alaska
with her two daughters at the age of 95.
Leona Tuttle died on November 23, 2007, in Somers Point, New Jersey
, at the age of 111. She was survived by two daughters, fifteen grandchildren and forty-one great-grandchildren.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
supercentenarian
Supercentenarian
A supercentenarian is someone who has reached the age of 110 years. This age is achieved by about one in a thousand centenarians....
.
Tuttle was born as Leona Wilhelmina Sternberg on April 13, 1896, near the town of Bad Axe, Michigan. Her parents, Karl and Marie Amelia Sternberg, were both immigrants from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. She was one of seven children. Sternberg grew up on her parents' 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) farm and attended school in a one room schoolhouse.
Sternberg left at the age of 17. She took a train to Detroit in order to meet her sister. Once in Detroit, she worked as a housekeeper for architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Louis Kamper
Louis Kamper
Louis Kamper was an American architect, active in and aroundDetroit and Wayne County, Michigan, in the United States.-Project range:...
for two years. She later attended the Ferris Institute before taking a job with the Michigan Central Railroad
Michigan Central Railroad
The Michigan Central Railroad was originally incorporated in 1846 to establish rail service between Detroit, Michigan and St. Joseph, Michigan. The railroad later operated in the states of Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois in the United States, and the province of Ontario in Canada...
department for several years. She was able to travel cross country through the free passes which she received through her employer.
Sternberg married her husband, Stanley Tuttle, in 1924. The continued to reside in Detroit for decades, but moved to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
part time following Stanley's retirement. Stanley Tuttle died in 1973. Leona Tuttle never remarried. After her husband's death, Tuttle lived with her grown daughters in the Detroit metropolitan area, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and Florida.
One of Tuttle's main passions was travel. She visited Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park, the 15th national park in the United States...
and Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is a United States National Park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain...
. Tuttle visited Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
with her two daughters at the age of 95.
Leona Tuttle died on November 23, 2007, in Somers Point, New Jersey
Somers Point, New Jersey
Somers Point is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 10,795.The City of Somers Point is in the eastern part of Atlantic County, southwest of Atlantic City.-History:...
, at the age of 111. She was survived by two daughters, fifteen grandchildren and forty-one great-grandchildren.