| Emma Carroll | |
|---|---|
Emma Carroll |
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| Born | Emma Vironia Lanman May 18, 1895 Iowa, United States |
| Died | July 10, 2007 (aged 112 years, 53 days) Ottumwa, Iowa, United States |
| Occupation | Church member |
| Title | Oldest Iowan resident upon death |
| Spouse | Clair Charles Carroll (1893-1994) |
| Children | Lowell (1914-2010) Noble (1918-2010) Max Charles (1924-1998) |
Emma Vironia Carroll (née Lanman; May 18, 1895 – July 10, 2007) was, at age 112, Iowa's oldest person since the death of 111-year-old Hazel Blecha on October 29, 2006. She was the 10th oldest validated American living in the United States, and the 22nd oldest validated worldwide at the time of her death. Also, she was the Guinness recordholder for the oldest person to ride in a hot-air balloon at 109 years and 70 days old in 2004.
Carroll was born in Iowa in 1895. In 1914, she met her longtime husband Clair C. Carroll (October 8, 1893 - March 7, 1994) of 80 years. The two first met where Clair's older sister was teaching.[1] The couple had resided in Davis County, Iowa during the 1910s.[2] Emma's first ballot was for Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1920. They had lived on a farm in Van Buren County, Iowa during the 1930s.[3] The Carroll's moved to Ottumwa, Iowa in the 1940s during World War II and settled there.[1] While in Ottumwa in the 40s, Clair became an employee for the Deere & Company, and Emma became a nurse for about a dozen years, and had taught Sunday school.[1] In 1999/2000, she moved into Vista Woods Care Center in Ottumwa, Iowa after living independently until she was 105 years old.[1]
In 2004, Emma became the Guinness world recordholder for the oldest person ever to fly in a hot air balloon. When she was asked how it worked out, she said, "It was just something I had always wanted to do. Julie [Meldren] lined it up, and a man and his wife took me (with pilot Brian Bennett). We went gliding along and I didn’t even know we were so high up. Beats anything I was ever in. I’d do it again if I could!"[1]
Carroll enjoyed going on group trips away from the nursing home. One time she had lunch with the Salvation Army. "I like that, they're friendly," Carroll said.[4]
She helped the Care Center by folding laundry twice a week.[5] During an interview in early 2007 with the Ottumwa Courier she had stated that "I like to work and work with my hands. It keeps [them] so I can use them, keeps them limber," she said while flexing her fingers, "I think work doesn't hurt anybody."[5] Emma studied the Bible with her weekly study group.[5] She said that she took naps often while sitting in her favorite chair.[5]
Carroll died in her nursing home in 2007 at Vista Woods Care Center in Ottumwa. She is survived by her 2 two sons- Noble and Lowell (originally four kids). According to the nursing home's social director Julie Meldren, Emma had 7 grandchildren, and about 12 great-grandchildren at the time of her death.