| Mary Snelling | |
 Snelling on her 109th birthday in December 2014 | |
| Birth: | 17 December 1905 Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK |
| Death: | 4 April 2016 Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK |
| Age: | 110 years, 109 days |
| Country: |  UK
|
| Unvalidated | |
Mary Snelling (née Ramsbottom; 17 December 1905 – 4 April 2016) was a British supercentenarian whose age is currently unvalidated by the Gerontology Research Group.
Biography[]
Early Life and Family[]
Snelling was born on 17 December 1905 in Norwich, Norfolk, England. She had two sisters, Kathleen (1904–2006) and Edna (1907–1981). They attended a private school in Norwich, but when the First World War broke out, they twice had to move to different schools. After leaving school, Snelling worked as a secretary before joining Norwich Magistrates’ Court as a clerk. She also worked as a Sunday School teacher.
Snelling met her future husband, Thomas Snelling, at a dance hosted by the Junior Imperial and Constitutional League (later known as the Young Conservatives), and they married on 3 August 1939. After the outbreak of the Second World War the following month, Thomas joined the Army and he worked his way up to the rank of Major.
After the war, the couple moved to Newbury, Berkshire, England. In 1949, Thomas was hospitalised with a stomach ulcer and he died aged 41 the following year. The couple did not have any children. After her husband's death, Snelling moved back to Norfolk where she worked as a secretary at Norfolk County Council, before going back to her old job at the court.
Later Life and Death[]
Snelling lived with her sister, Kathleen, in a bungalow in Brundall, Norfolk, until Kathleen died aged 102 in 2006. She then moved into a home in Letheringsett, Norfolk for a year before she went back to live in Brundall, with the help of carers. She then moved in to an assisted living facility in Blofield, Norfolk, in April 2012.
In March 2014, at the age of 108, Snelling moved in to a care home in Brundall, Norfolk, which was formerly the house she shared with her family for more than 30 years. Snelling celebrated her 110th birthday in December 2015. She said the key to a long and healthy life was to "have a good diet, lots of exercise, and to avoid smoking". She died on 4 April 2016 at the age of 110 years, 109 days.
Gallery[]
References[]
- All Validated British Supercentenarians Oldest in Britain
- An apple a day, cutting fat off meat and only drinking occasionally - Blofield woman shares her secrets as she celebrates 107th birthday Norwich Evening News, 19 December 2012
- Can you believe she's 107? The incredible centenarian who looks better now than she did when she was 100 Daily Mail, 19 December 2012
- Mary Snelling celebrates her 109th birthday! Eastern Daily Press, 18 December 2014
- Mary Snelling Obituary Eastern Daily Press, 14 April 2016