Nyleptha Roberts

Nyleptha Matilda Shell Roberts (née Bryant; March 12, 1898 - May 5, 2010) was the oldest living person in Tennessee at the time of her death. She was the 20th oldest living person in the world, and 9th oldest living person in the United States.
Youth
Roberts was born in White County, Tennessee in 1898. She was the oldest daughter of John Douglas Bryant, Sr. (1871-1932) and Molly Victoria Whitaker (1879-1957), and was their second child. They had 12 in all, and lived in Bon Air, Tennessee.
Roberts, who was named after the good queen in Henry Rider Haggard's adventure novels, loved to tell jokes and ice skate during her early years. She attended school in a small, country school house, and remembers seeing her first automobile in 1907, when she was 9 years old. When Roberts was 10, her mother taught her to sew; and Nyleptha would make patterns and sew many of her own clothes for many years. In 1912, her father bought her an organ for $79, and she would learn to play by ear.
First marriage
Growing up, Roberts personality attracted the attention of many boys, but Aaron Shell stood out. On September 22, 1922, she married Shell, who was born on March 1, 1893 in Old Town, Tennessee. Their first child, Columbus Leon, was born the next year. Eventually, they moved to Stone, Kentucky, where Shell became the manager of a coal mine. As the Kentucky coal industry prospered, so did their family, adding Johnny Alvin and Juanita over the next few years. During that time, Roberts managed a grocery store in the town, and she purchased their first car, not telling Shell until she arrived home driving it that night. Shell died at age 62 on September 18, 1955.
Second marriage
In 1958, Roberts moved to Chicago, Illinois to start over. She worked at a clothing store, and also a manager of a laundry service. In 1964, days after her son Johnny became ill and died, she returned to Tennessee, building a home in Sparta. In 1978, when Nyleptha was 80, she married Hubert H. Roberts, who was born on January 1, 1900. The two travelled all over the country, visiting 26 different states. Their family continued to expand and Roberts became the grandmother to three grandsons, Johnny Jr., Steve, and Michael, one granddaughter, Janet, and two great-granddaughters, Tracy and Heather.
After only 8 years together, Hubert died in White County, Tennessee at age 86, on December 20, 1986. He was buried in Mt. Pisgah Cemetery, White County, Tennessee.
Later years
Roberts continued to live in her own home until she was 107 years old. At that time, she moved to Life Care Center of Sparta. There, she passed her time as the facility librarian and making soap fish, small statues of aquatic creatures made with a bar of soap, cloth, beads, and other craft materials. She received a great deal of attention, as she was the oldest living person in Tennessee, and the oldest resident in all of the facilities managed by Life Care Centers of America, the largest privately-held nursing facility company in the United States.
She was featured in numerous newspaper articles and in Life Care Leader Magazine. She had resolutions honoring her passed in the Tennessee General Assembly. She had also received letters of congratulations on her birthdays from governors and presidents.
Death
On the morning of May 5, 2010, Roberts died in her sleep. She was 112 years and 54 days old.

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