114-year-old woman who challenged Facebook age policy dies

MINNEAPOLIS — A 114-year-old woman who challenged Facebook after the social media site wouldn’t let her list her real age has died in Minnesota.

Anna Stoehr, one of America’s oldest residents, died Sunday in her sleep after several days in hospice care, according to her son, Harlan Stoehr.

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She drew national attention this year after KARE-TV reported about her attempt to create a Facebook account. The social media site wouldn’t let her enter a birth year before 1905, so she listed her age as 99 — but she wrote a letter to the company saying, “I’m still here.”

In response, Facebook sent her a bouquet of 114 flowers for her most recent birthday, her son said.

Born in Iowa in 1900, Anna Stoehr’s family moved to Wisconsin and South Dakota before settling in Ridgeway, Minnesota, in 1919. She lived in Minnesota the rest of her life, her son said.

The Gerontology Research Group, which tracks many of the world’s longest-living people, said Anna Stoehr was the oldest verified resident of Minnesota. She also was the seventh oldest person verified to be living in the U.S. and 12th oldest in the world, according to Robert Young, a senior database administrator for the research group.

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Young said living to age “114 is extremely rare.” But he said the most amazing thing about Stoehr wasn’t just her age, but the fact that she was willing to try new things, including Facebook and smartphones.

Harlan Stoehr said his mother was sharp until the end. He joked that when he saw her a week ago, “it was like she was 112 again.”