Neva Morris
Encyclopedia
Neva Morris was an American
supercentenarian
. At the age of 114 years, 246 days, she was the oldest verified living person in the United States following the death of 114-year-old Mary Josephine Ray
and the last known American born surviving from 1895. On December 22, 2009, Morris, aged 114 years 141 days, surpassed Olivia Patricia Thomas as the oldest Iowan ever verified. On February 13, 2010, Morris became one of the 40 oldest people ever.
, where she lived her entire life, to Schuyler and Cambia Freed as the youngest of four children. Neva Freed married Edward Leonard Morris in 1914. The couple had four children: Leslee, Mary Jane, Walter, and Bettylee. They lived with Edward’s parents, Gertrude Rutherford and Walter Leonard Morris, on a farm encompassing 224 acre (0.90649664 km²) of land. She assisted in helping her four children attend Iowa State University
by raising chickens, hogs and dairy cattle.
. She discontinued driving when she was 95 years of age.
Morris was a member of PEO Chapter OH, a 60-year member of Collegiate United Methodist Church, and for 75 years was active in Eastern Star. She also enjoyed singing in women’s choral groups, including one in Gilbert and the Story County Women’s Chorus under the direction of Max Exner. Neva particularly loved to sing “You Are My Sunshine.”
Morris' husband Edward died in 1960. At age 99, Morris moved from her farm home to North Grand Care Center and later to Northcrest Community in 1998. According to Wickersham in March 2010, she "had hearing and vision loss but was able to participate in limited activity at the nursing home".
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 114 years, 246 days, she was the oldest verified living person in the United States following the death of 114-year-old Mary Josephine Ray
Mary Josephine Ray
Mary Josephine Ray was the world's second-oldest verified living person at the time of her death...
and the last known American born surviving from 1895. On December 22, 2009, Morris, aged 114 years 141 days, surpassed Olivia Patricia Thomas as the oldest Iowan ever verified. On February 13, 2010, Morris became one of the 40 oldest people ever.
Youth
Born in Ames, IowaAmes, Iowa
Ames is a city located in the central part of the U.S. state of Iowa in Story County, and approximately north of Des Moines. The U.S. Census Bureau designates that Ames, Iowa metropolitan statistical area as encompassing all of Story County, and which, when combined with the Boone, Iowa...
, where she lived her entire life, to Schuyler and Cambia Freed as the youngest of four children. Neva Freed married Edward Leonard Morris in 1914. The couple had four children: Leslee, Mary Jane, Walter, and Bettylee. They lived with Edward’s parents, Gertrude Rutherford and Walter Leonard Morris, on a farm encompassing 224 acre (0.90649664 km²) of land. She assisted in helping her four children attend Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
by raising chickens, hogs and dairy cattle.
Later years
Neva's son-in-law, -year-old Tom Wickersham, who lived in the same retirement home as Morris, said “It didn’t hurt that she worked hard all her life and ate hearty and healthy meals prepared from meat, dairy products and vegetables produced on the farm.” Walter Morris, age , Neva’s youngest son and only living child, believed that her secret was her passion for fast cars, as witnessed by her 80-year accident-free driving record. Aged 90 years, she purchased a 1985 Mercury Grand MarquisMercury Grand Marquis
The Mercury Grand Marquis was a full-size rear-wheel drive sedan sold by the Lincoln-Mercury division of the Ford Motor Company; the Grand Marquis was the flagship of the Mercury lineup. The nameplate itself had been in use since 1975 as the premium trim level of the Mercury Marquis; the Grand...
. She discontinued driving when she was 95 years of age.
Morris was a member of PEO Chapter OH, a 60-year member of Collegiate United Methodist Church, and for 75 years was active in Eastern Star. She also enjoyed singing in women’s choral groups, including one in Gilbert and the Story County Women’s Chorus under the direction of Max Exner. Neva particularly loved to sing “You Are My Sunshine.”
Morris' husband Edward died in 1960. At age 99, Morris moved from her farm home to North Grand Care Center and later to Northcrest Community in 1998. According to Wickersham in March 2010, she "had hearing and vision loss but was able to participate in limited activity at the nursing home".
Death
At about 4 a.m. on April 6, 2010, Morris died with her 90-year-old son-in-law by her side. She was the second oldest living person in the world, and the last American born in 1895. She is survived by one son, eight grandchildren, nineteen great-grandchildren, and several great-great-grandchildren.See also
- List of supercentenarians from the United States
- List of the verified oldest people
- List of verified supercentenarians who died in 2010