Dollie Berry, the second-oldest living person in New York, dies at 112
The Gerontology Research Group (GRG) is saddened to reported that Mrs. Dollie Berry (née Booten), the oldest living person in the U.S. state of New York, sadly passed away in New York City on 16 May 2026 at the final age of 112 years and 70 days. Dollie Berry was born as Dollie Booten on 7 March 1914 in Reva, Culpeper County, Virginia, USA, to parents Burnette Booten and Sallie Shanks. There has been a history of longevity in Dollie’s family. She had nine siblings, two of which lived to become centenarians. Her sister Laura Elizabeth Hoffman lived to the age of 108 and her sister Lucy Majors lived to the…
Anna Wagner, the oldest living person in Austria, dies at 111
The Gerontology Research Group (GRG) is sadden to reported that Mrs. Anna Wagner, the oldest living person in Austria, sadly passed away in Euratsfeld, Lower Austria on 12 May 2026 at the final age of 111 years and 340 days. Anna Wagner was born in Euratsfeld, Lower Austria, Austria, on 6 June 1914. In her youth, she managed a small farm with four cows and a few pigs. She attended Euratsfeld Elementary School for eight years. As there was no secondary school available at the time, after completing those eight years, she enrolled in the Home Economics School in Amstetten. She rode her bike to school every day. After her mother passed away when she was…
Illinois woman Mary Laughead celebrated her 112th birthday
The Gerontology Research Group (GRG) is pleased to announce that Mrs. Mary Laughead, one of the oldest resident in the U.S. state of Illinois, has celebrated her 112th birthday on 3 May 2026 in Olney. Mary Laughead was born as Mary Burkett in Flat Rock, Illinois, USA on 3 May 1914, in a house built by her parents Hugh and Lois Burkett. She worked as a secretary at an insurance company, and would also support her husband on their farm whenever she could. A keen traveller, Laughead visited every U.S. state except North Dakota, driving in a hand-cranked Ford. She witnessed the building of Route 1, distinctly recollecting the explosions made when creating the roadway. Laughead lived…
Hikaru Katō, the oldest living man in Japan, celebrated his 112th birthday
The Gerontology Research Group (GRG) is pleased to announce that Mr. Hikaru Katō, the oldest living man in Japan, has celebrated his 112th birthday on 2 May 2026 in Yamaga, Kumamoto Prefecture. Hikaru Katō was born on 2 May 1914 in Yamaga, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. After joining the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, he was drafted at the age of 24, just a year before World War II began, and was initially deployed to Taiwan. Four days after the war started, he landed in the Philippines, where he encountered American forces and sustained an injury to his right leg. Though he prepared himself for the possibility of death, he held faith in a Japanese victory. Later, he was…
Francis Piscatella, WORLD’S OLDEST LIVING NUN, celebrated her 113th birthday
The Gerontology Research Group (GRG) is pleased to announce that Mrs. Francis Piscatella, known as “Sister Dominici“, the WORLD’S OLDEST LIVING NUN whose age is recognized by Guinness World Records, has celebrated her 113th birthday on 20 April 2026 in East Williston, New York, USA. Francis Piscatella was born in Central Islip, New York, USA, on 20 April 1913. Her left forearm was amputated when she was two years old, which caused her to be rejected by many religious organizations. Her mother taught her independence, and she had to prove that there was nothing she couldn’t do. Piscatella was accepted by the Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville in 1931, and soon afterwards earned her bachelor’s and master’s…