WORCESTER, Massachusetts — Goldie Michelson, 113, who was the oldest living American and spent most of her long life in Worcester, died Friday in her home.
Michelson, who died a month short of her 114th birthday, also was the oldest living Jewish person in the world, according to her obituary. She was born in Russia in 1902, and moved to Worcester at age 2.
She attended Worcester schools and graduated from the Women’s College of Brown University. She later earned a master’s degree in sociology at Clark University. Her thesis, “A Citizenship Survey of Worcester Jewry,” explored the assimilation of Jewish immigrants in the city.
Her husband, David Michelson, passed away in 1974. Among her survivors she leaves a daughter, Renee Minsky of Bangor, Maine, a granddaughter and two great-grandchildren.
Michelson had a strong interest in theater and directed productions for theater groups, especially children’s theater. She and her husband supported theater arts at Clark University through their David and Goldie Michelson Fund, and Clark’s Michelson Theater is named in their honor.
Michelson also was involved in community service and served on the boards of several associations. In a story about Michelson in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette earlier this year, neighbors described her as friendly and also active, strolling through the neighborhood until becoming more housebound in recent years.
“She’s just a nice neighbor,” state Rep. John J. Mahoney, a resident on her street, said.
The new oldest American is New Jersey resident Adele Dunlap, who’s also 113, according to Los Angeles-based Gerontology Research Group.
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