| Stella Lennox | |
 Stella Lennox at the age of 112 | |
| Birth: | 31 January 1908 Aneta, North Dakota, USA |
| Death: | 6 December 2020 Rockford, Illinois, USA |
| Age: | 112 years, 310 days |
| Country: |  USA
|
| Validated | |
Stella Mae Harriett Lennox (née Haraldson; 31 January 1908 – 6 December 2020) was an American supercentenarian who was the oldest known person living in the U.S. state of Illinois at the time of her death. Her age was validated by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) on 10 March 2020.
Biography
Early Life
Stella Lennox was born in Aneta, North Dakota, USA, on 31 January 1908. She was the oldest of six children and only daughter born to Henry and Caroline (née Lang) Haraldson, who were of Swedish and Norwegian heritage. Her father opened the first car dealership in the area and was the town mayor for a time. Her family was reportedly the first in town to have a radio, and would host neighbours on Saturday nights to listen.
As a teenager, Lennox attended St. Luke’s Hospital in Fargo, North Dakota, for a three-year nurse’s training course. She graduated in 1930 and found a job as a teller at a bank for $50 a week. When residents of her town discovered that she was a trained nurse, they would come to the bank to ask for medical advice. She was sometimes summoned to tend to patients out in the country, and once had to deliver a woman’s baby by herself.
Lennox later moved to Chicago, Illinois, where she met her husband, Hugh. The couple married on 19 June 1932, and had two children, Willia and Jerry (both deceased as of 2020). Lennox received a certification in surgery assistance at Michael Reese Hospital, and in 1942, started working at Cook County Hospital, where she remained before retiring in 1969. She was also a Salvation Army volunteer for around 70 years.
Later Life
After her husband died in 1986, Lennox continued to live in Chicago until she was 101, when she moved to Rockford, Illinois, to live with her granddaughter. On 6 March 2017, Lennox and her granddaughter were fortunate to escape alive after an electric blanket in their home caught fire at 4am. Lennox received minor burns but was able to recover in hospital. She said that she probably would not have survived the fire had the smoke alarm batteries not been changed the week before.
In October 2017, Lennox moved into a rehabilitation center in Rockford, Illinois. She died on 6 December 2020 at the age of 112 years, 310 days. At the time of her death, she had nine grandchildren (three of whom predeceased her), 16 great-grandchildren, and 17 great-great-grandchildren.
Gallery
References
- Time has ‘flown by’ for 107-year-old Stella Lennox of Rockford Rockford Register Star, 13 June 2015
- ‘I’ve lived a simple life, but it’s been interesting,’ 109-year-old Rockford woman says Rockford Register Star, 4 February 2017
- 109-year-old woman shares story of surviving house fire NBC4, 25 March 2017
- Keeping it simple after 110 years Rockford Register Star, 25 January 2018
- Rockford woman celebrates 110th birthday WIFR, 3 February 2018
- Yep, today's the day, 112 years ago Stella Lennox was born... Pamm Duke Reynolds on Facebook, 31 January 2020
- Stella Mae Harriet Lennox Obituary Grace Funeral & Cremation Services