Hazel Skuce, doyenne of Canada, dies at 112

The Gerontology Research Group (GRG) is saddened to report that Mrs. Hazel Skuce of Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, the oldest person (Doyenne) in Canada, passed away on 3 January 2025, at the age of 112 years, 331 days. She was born in Blanshard Municipality, Manitoba, Canada, on 7 February 1912. Hazel shared her journey with a loving family – brother Lawrence Short (1920–2016), sisters Muriel Myrtle (1917-2012), and Clara Hornibrook (1913-2022). Life brought both joy and sorrow, including the loss of her first husband, Dick Patmore, and later finding love again with John Skuce. She did not have children on her own. On 25 June 2024, following the death of 112-year-old Gertruda Górecka, Skuce became the oldest known living person in Canada. The age of Hazel Skuce was meticulously examined and verified by Dr. Wacław Jan Kroczek, and Oliver Trim, and validated by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) on 31 May 2023. Following her passing, the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) recognizes 112-year old Mrs. Margaret Romans, born in Riga, Latvia on 16 March 1912, residing in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, as the new Doyenne of Canada.
We extend our sincere condolences to Mrs. Hazel Skuce family and friends.