Herlda Senhouse, Massachusetts' oldest resident, dies at age 113

Herlda Senhouse, who founded a jazz dance group to raise money for Black students in the 1950s and lived to become the second-oldest person in the United States, has died at age 113.

Senhouse died “peacefully in her sleep” on Saturday, said Stephanie Hawkinson, public information officer for the town of Wellesley, Massachusetts, where Senhouse had lived for the last four decades.

“She never missed an opportunity to learn more, do more, experience more,” said Hawkinson, who met Senhouse on her 108th birthday and had celebrated with her every year since.

Born Feb. 28, 1911, in Piedmont, West Virginia, Senhouse was sent to live with an aunt in Woburn, Massachusetts, at age 16 and graduated from Woburn High School. According to The Boston Globe, she dreamed of becoming a nurse but was turned away by a nursing school after it had met its quota of two Black students in 1931.

She later worked as a housekeeper for several families and founded the Boston Clique Club, which raised money to improve educational opportunities for Black students in Boston.

At age 105, she enrolled in the New England Centenarian Study, which seeks to determine how people like her age so slowly while delaying or escaping aging-related disease. She also bequeathed her brain to researchers, Hawkinson said.

According to the Gerontology Research Group, the oldest person in the United States is Naomi Whitehead, 114, who lives in Greenville, Pennsylvania.

Hawkinson said Senhouse often said the secret to her longevity was never having children, though she enjoyed children and caring for them. She surrounded herself with a community of relatives, friends and members of her church, and was always up for an adventure, Hawkinson said.

“She was truly an inspiration to so many in our community,” she said.