Olive Riley, World’s Oldest Blogger, Dies at Age 108

Written by on July 14, 2008 - 3 Comments
Categories: Golden Oldies

Olive Riley, known as the world’s oldest blogger, passed away over the weekend at the age of 108, according to the Associated Press and Reuters.  She was a resident of Woy Woy, north of Sydney, Australia, and was born in 1899.  I am pleased to announce that she will be the first inductee into The Golden Oldies Hall of Fame on TenderLovingEldercare.com.

Her blog, The Life of Riley, shared stories of her life in the outback, raising three children on her own, and observations of the world.  She began blogging in February 2007 with the help of a friend who set up the site and who entered posts for her.  Her great-grandson, Darren Stone, of Brisbane told local newspapers, “She enjoyed the notoriety — it kept her mind fresh.”

Here is an excerpt from her final blog post on June 26th, about a week after being moved into a nursing home:

“Penny, who’s in the next bed to mine, had a visit one day this week from her daughter, who’s a professional singer. Guess what happened! She and I sang a happy song, as I do every day, and before long we were joined by several nurses, who sang along too. It was quite a concert!”

Olive Riley is a great example of a senior citizen embracing technology however they can.  And she is a wonderful role model showing us how important it is to be open to change and to keep a positive attitude no matter what our age and life circumstances are!

Upon news of her death, her blog received a flurry of hits and has had some technical difficulties.  You may view her temporary blog, World’s Oldest Blogger, here.

To read the full news story click here.

 

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3 Responses to “Olive Riley, World’s Oldest Blogger, Dies at Age 108”

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  1. Barbara Swafford
    July 14, 2008 at 11:13 pm

    Hi Linda,

    I remember hearing about her last year and visited her blog a few times. It was a real joy to read and very motivational. It reminded me how important it is to keep our minds/brains engaged as we get older.

    I know she would be honored to know she’s in your Golden Oldies Hall of Fame.

    That was very sweet of you.

  2. Linda Abbit
    July 15, 2008 at 1:55 pm

    Hi Barbara,

    I just heard of Olive, but do plan on going back and reading more of her posts. What a treasure!

    It seemed right to honor her, and I’m looking forward to growing the Hall of Fame, too.

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