Merle Barwis

Merle Barwis
On her 111th birthday in 2011.
Birth:	23 December 1900 Des Moines, Iowa, USA
Death:	22 November 2014 Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Age:	113 years, 334 days
Country:	USACAN
Validated

Merle Emmeline Barwis (née Stedwell) (23 December 1900 – 22 November 2014) was an American-Canadian supercentenarian who was, at the time of her death aged 113 years, 334 days, the oldest living resident of Canada and one of oldest people ever in Canada. She became the oldest living person in Canada from the death of Cora Hansen on 18 April 2012, until her own death 2 years and 7 months later.

Biography

Merle Barwis was born in Des Moines, Iowa, United States on 23 December 1900. A few years later, her family moved to Saskatchewan, Canada. She married Dewey Barwis in 1923 and had three children. Her husband worked in the Canadian Pacific railway. In 1952, her husband having retired, her family moved to Victoria, British Columbia. Her husband died in 1966.

She outlived her two sons and two of her 10 grandchildren. At the time of her death, she had 17 great-grandchildren.

She died on 22 November 2014 at the age of 113 years, 334 days. At the time of her death she was the fourth-longest lived person ever in Canada and the oldest person ever to live in British Columbia.

References

• Table A - Verified Supercentenarians (Listed Chronologically By Birth Date) GRG, As of January 1, 2015