Lansing’s Irene Dunham, Michigan’s oldest resident, dies at age 114

DEWITT TOWNSHIP — Irene Dunham, Michigan’s oldest residing resident and the oldest surviving scholar who attended the Tub Consolidated Faculty earlier than it was bombed in 1927, has died.

Dunham, 114 and a longtime Lansing resident, died Sunday, her son Bruce Dunham confirmed Monday.

Although her thoughts was sharp, “her physique simply lastly gave up,” he mentioned.

She was the Tenth-oldest particular person on the planet and the third-oldest within the U.S., in response to data from the Gerontology Analysis Group, a bunch of researchers that verifies and tracks “supercentenarians.”

“To say she had an incredible life can be an understatement,” Bruce Dunham mentioned. “She’s been via a lot.”

‘A strolling historical past guide’

His mom was “a strolling historical past guide,” Bruce Dunham mentioned.

Born Irene Babcock, she grew up on a 141-acre household farm situated about 4 miles from Tub along with her dad and mom and eight youthful siblings. Her father grew rye and corn.

Throughout the influenza pandemic of 1918, she fell in poor health however recovered.

Then in 1927, at age 19, a sore throat saved Irene Dunham house from lessons at Tub Consolidated Faculty the day Andrew Kehoe blew it up with explosives he had planted within the constructing.

The 1,000 kilos of dynamite Kehoe positioned within the basement of the constructing on Could 18, 1927, killed 38 classmates and 6 adults. Dozens of others had been injured, together with Irene Dunham’s brother. Kehoe died by his personal hand in a separate explosion.

The commencement ceremony for the category of 1927 didn’t occur that yr. Irene Dunham acquired her diploma 50 years later when Tub Excessive Faculty’s 1977 graduating class invited the 1927 graduates to their ceremony.

Later in life, when Irene Dunham acquired colon most cancers, docs believed it might kill her, however she survived.

She lived via the Nice Despair, each world wars and two pandemics.

Her husband Laurits Dunham died in 1972. Till two years in the past, Irene Dunham paid her personal payments and taxes and tended to her personal backyard.

Bruce Dunham mentioned she usually informed him the key to an extended life was “laborious work.”

“Then she would add, ‘open air within the backyard,’” he mentioned. “After I was a child and my associates came to visit she’d put them to work.”

Irene Dunham would instruct them to rake leaves, pull weeds and assist in the yard, he mentioned.

“She saved the dandelions out of her yard by hand,” Bruce Dunham mentioned.

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Setting ‘fairly an instance’

Till 2020 Dunham lived within the Lansing house the place she raised her household and resided for greater than eight many years.

She moved to Gunnisonville Meadows Senior Assisted Residing in DeWitt Township.

Irene Dunham set “fairly an instance for individuals,” daughter-in-law Bonnie Dunham mentioned.

“Via laborious occasions she persevered and her religion helped carry her via these occasions, and he or she had many,” she mentioned. “She managed to get via them and was optimistic.”

“I used to inform her she was a tricky outdated hen and he or she laughed,” Bruce Dunham mentioned. “She preferred being known as that.”

Her final surviving brother, George Babcock, a World Warfare II veteran, died final fall. He was 102.

5 years in the past, Irene Dunham recounted the aftermath of the college bombing in Tub for a State Journal reporter, saying on the time, “I want I might actually inform you, expensive, how terrible it was.”

Grandson Scott Rees, 43, mentioned he was glad she lived lengthy sufficient to have fun the beginning of her great-great-great-granddaughter, September Rambo, born April 27.

“I believe two phrases that actually come to thoughts once I take into consideration her are resilience and pleasure,” he mentioned. “She’s had an excellent lengthy life, a cheerful life nevertheless it was a extremely difficult one as effectively, seeing all that she has.”

“I’ve known as her every single day for 20 years to test on her,” Bruce Dunham mentioned. “Now it’ll be odd. It is like a gap in your life, you understand?”

Contact Rachel Greco at rgreco@lsj.com. Observe her on Twitter @GrecoatLSJ .