Stella Lennox

	Stella Lennox
	; Stella Lennox at the age of 112
	Unvalidated

Stella Lennox (born 31 January 1908) is an American supercentenarian whose age is currently unvalidated by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG).

Biography

Early Life

Stella Lennox was born in Aneta, North Dakota, USA, on 31 January 1908. She was the oldest of six children born to parents 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 were 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 had two children. She 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, she continued to live in Chicago, before moving to Rockford, Illinois, to live with her granddaughter in around 2010. At the time of her 109th birthday, Lennox had six surviving grandchildren.

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 in to a rehabilitation center in Rockford, Illinois. She became a supercentenarian in January 2018, and celebrated her 112th birthday in January 2020.