Zelda McCague
- Full name: Zelda McCague
- Lifespan: 28.03.1888 – 06.08.2001
- Age: 113 years. 131 days
- Birthplace: Ontario, Canada
- Last residence: Ontario, Canada
- Application date: N/A
- Validation date: N/A
- Validation source: Robert Young/Bertrand Desjardins
Biography
Zelda Viola Strongman was born one of six children born in a log cabin on the family farm, near Alliston, Ontario.
In 1907, she married local farmer William McCague. Together, they farmed for many years. William McCague died in 1940 at the age of 61. Zelda, who was 52 at the time, never remarried.
She had a hard time during the Depression as all farmers did … “[Y]ou can’t say that she didn’t have stress in her life because she certainly did“, added her grandson. She lived through a lot. “She remembered the first car. When she got her first car, they bought it out of a Sears catalogue.” She lived through the First World War and was afraid of losing her husband.
Although McCague was believed to be one of the oldest women alive, she was not in the Guinness Book of Records because she had no birth certificate. However her age has been conclusively proved by other documents. As McCague turned 113, however, the official record holder – according to Guinness – was Marie Brémont of France, who celebrated her 115th birthday in April.
McCague outlived two of her four children, dying in her sleep of natural causes on 6 August 2001, aged 113 years 131 days.
Longevity titles
Doyenne of Canada (26.10.1999-06.06.2001)
Validation
Zelda McCague was verified by Bertrand Desjardins together with Robert Young and validated by the GRG.
Zelda McCague at an uknown age.
