Herlda Senhouse, the second-oldest living person in the United States, dies at 113
The Gerontology Research Group is saddened to report news that Mrs. Herlda Senhouse, the oldest living person in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, and the second-oldest living person in the United States, sadly died in Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA on 16 November 2024 at the age of 113 years, 262 days.
Herlda Senhouse was born in Piedmont, West Virginia, USA on 28 February 1911 to John and Isabella “Belle” (née Saunders) Fairfax. Both of her parents died by the time she was six years of age. At the age of 16, Senhouse moved to Woburn, Massachusetts, USA, to an uncle and aunt’s house. In 1931, she became the first in her family to graduate high school. At the age of 25, she married William Senhouse, who died in January 1998; they had no children.
Later in her life, Senhouse founded what was Boston’s Clique Club, a social club of dancers and musicians to help educate Black students. She helped countless Black students pay for everything from books to college tuition.
On her 110th birthday in 2021, Senhouse could recall events from her childhood, including the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic. When asked for her secret to long life, Senhouse said “do your best to resolve issues, but if you can’t fix it, forget it, let it go – that’s how you get through life. Limit the stress.”
At the age of 112, Senhouse was still able to walk with the help of a walker. Around May 2023, Senhouse was interviewed for a study regarding why so few centenarians have Alzheimer’s disease. She credited her longevity to a stress-free life and having no children.
On 25 May 2023, following the death of 114-year-old Hazel Plummer, she became the oldest living person in the U.S. state of Massachusetts.
At the time of her death, she was the second-oldest living person in the United States, behind 114-year-old Naomi Whitehead.
