World’s oldest living American, from Worcester, dies

The oldest living American has died.

Goldie Michaelson, of Worcester, was only a month short of her 114th birthday when she passed away Friday, the Associated Press reported. She was reportedly frail and confined to a bed in the final stages of her life.

Michel was born in 1902 in Elizabethgrad, Russia, and moved to the United States as a young child, according to the report.

Michaelson, who received a master’s degree from Clark University, was asked about the secret to her longevity in an alumni magazine in 2010:

“Walking,” she says while sitting in a comfortable chair in her Worcester home. “I was a great walker—four or five miles every morning, weather permitting. I never used a car if I could walk. One of the great joys of life was when I sold my car.”

Her son-in-law, Leonard Minsky, seated nearby, pipes up. “Goldie, what about the cigars and whiskey?”

She laughs and waves her hand. “He’s just kidding. I never smoke or drank.” Then she adds in a semi-conspiratorial tone, “But I do love chocolate. Lots of chocolate.”

A small theater on the campus is also named in honor of the drama lover.

The new oldest American? New Jersey resident Adele Dunlap, aged 113, according to the AP.