Mississippi Winn
Encyclopedia
Mississippi Winn was an American
supercentenarian
. At the age of , she was the 7th oldest person in the world at the time of her death. She became the oldest resident in Louisiana
upon the death of Maggie Renfro
on January 22, 2010. After Daisey Bailey
's death on March 7, 2010, Winn became the oldest living African American
. She was the last living child of former slaves, according to census records. She moved into the list of the verified oldest women on December 4, 2010 and into the list of the verified oldest people on January 8, 2011. Winn is the 103rd oldest person ever (she was the 99th oldest ever when she died).
She moved to Seattle, Washington
in c. 1957 and resided there for 18 years until her youngest sister's death in 1975. Her death caused Winn to move to Shreveport, where she had lived ever since.
Winn avoided dairy products, and took one vitamin and aspirin
per day. Her favorite foods were fruits and vegetables. She was baptized at age 11 at Providence Baptist Church in Benton, LA. She later joined Avenue Baptist Church, where she was a member for 82 years. Members from the church presented her with a plaque entitled "The Marriage of Avenue Baptist Church and Miss Mississippi Winn." She received a letter from President Barack Obama
.
Winn enjoyed seeing and reading the Bible. She never married, and had only one child, who died at age two. Winn had many nieces and nephews who most frequently called her "Aunt Sweetie".
Shreveport Mayor Cedric Glover
presented a proclamation to her and named March 31 "Miss Mississippi Winn Day" in the city of Shreveport.
People of the United States
The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
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....
. At the age of , she was the 7th oldest person in the world at the time of her death. She became the oldest resident in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
upon the death of Maggie Renfro
Maggie Renfro
Maggie Mae Renfro was an American supercentenarian who was, at 114, the third-oldest living person in the United States and the oldest person in Louisiana until her death on January 22, 2010...
on January 22, 2010. After Daisey Bailey
Daisey Bailey
Daisey Bailey was an African American supercentenarian, who at the age of 113 years and 342 days, was the fifth oldest person in the world and the third oldest living person in the United States...
's death on March 7, 2010, Winn became the oldest living African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
. She was the last living child of former slaves, according to census records. She moved into the list of the verified oldest women on December 4, 2010 and into the list of the verified oldest people on January 8, 2011. Winn is the 103rd oldest person ever (she was the 99th oldest ever when she died).
Biography
Mississippi Winn was born in Benton, Louisiana in 1897. She was the 13th of 15 children born to Mack and Ellen Winn. She was a housekeeper all of her life and cleaned and cooked her own meals until the age of 103 when she moved into Magnolia Manor Nursing Home in Shreveport in 2001.She moved to Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
in c. 1957 and resided there for 18 years until her youngest sister's death in 1975. Her death caused Winn to move to Shreveport, where she had lived ever since.
Winn avoided dairy products, and took one vitamin and aspirin
Aspirin
Aspirin , also known as acetylsalicylic acid , is a salicylate drug, often used as an analgesic to relieve minor aches and pains, as an antipyretic to reduce fever, and as an anti-inflammatory medication. It was discovered by Arthur Eichengrun, a chemist with the German company Bayer...
per day. Her favorite foods were fruits and vegetables. She was baptized at age 11 at Providence Baptist Church in Benton, LA. She later joined Avenue Baptist Church, where she was a member for 82 years. Members from the church presented her with a plaque entitled "The Marriage of Avenue Baptist Church and Miss Mississippi Winn." She received a letter from President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
.
Winn enjoyed seeing and reading the Bible. She never married, and had only one child, who died at age two. Winn had many nieces and nephews who most frequently called her "Aunt Sweetie".
Shreveport Mayor Cedric Glover
Cedric Glover
Cedric Bradford Glover is the Democratic mayor of Shreveport, Louisiana -- the first African American to hold the position.Outgoing Mayor Keith Hightower was term-limited in 2006, after having won election in both 1998 and 2002...
presented a proclamation to her and named March 31 "Miss Mississippi Winn Day" in the city of Shreveport.
See also
- List of the verified oldest women
- List of the verified oldest people
- List of supercentenarians from the United States