Melva Radcliffe

Melva Radcliffe (née Cadmus; March 3, 1901 - August 31, 2012) was a claimed American supercentenarian. At the age of 111, she was the oldest living resident of New Jersey. The record for New Jersey's oldest person is held by 112-year-old Alphaeus Philemon Cole.
Biography
Radcliffe was born Melva Mae Cadmus on March 3, 1901, in Paterson, New Jersey. After graduating from school at the age of 15, she entered into the teaching program at the Paterson Normal School, which is now William Paterson University. Two years later, she started to teach at Public School 13 in Paterson. At that time her salary was $600 a year. She was a teacher of Art and Music for 44 years.
During the Great Depression, she had to pool her salary with her brother-in-law to care for their family. It was only after her retirement that she met and married her first husband, James Radcliffe, at the age of 70. James died only seven years into the marriage. Shortly after, she married James' brother Hartley Radcliffe. Hartley died at the age of 90 in 1997.
She had no children from either marriage. Radcliffe moved into an assisted living facility at 106. She attributed her longevity to her heritage. She had two sisters who lived to 100, and a brother who made it to 90. She had glasses of whiskey daily, and used to walk to and from work every day. Her attitude had been described as vibrant and humorous. Radcliffe had survived colon cancer and two broken hips, and her hearing and eyesight were almost gone by the time of her death. She used a wheelchair, but was able to walk short distances.

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