Emma Didlake, a longtime Detroiter and America’s oldest living veteran, passed away at age 110 on Sunday morning — just weeks after meeting President Barack Obama in Washington.
Didlake died Sunday at a long-term care facility in West Bloomfield, said one of her granddaughters, Marilyn Horne, 62.
“I’m saddened she’s not here, but glad that she got an opportunity to do everything in her life that she wanted to do, including meet the president,” said Horne on Monday.
Obama said in a statement: “I was humbled and grateful to welcome Emma to the White House last month. Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to Emma’s family, friends, and everyone she inspired over her long and quintessentially American life.”
Didlake went on a whirlwind tour of the nation’s capital on July 17. She met with Obama in the Oval Office, who praised her accomplishments and her service while media snapped photos.
“It’s a great reminder of not only the sacrifices the greatest generation made on our behalf but also the kind of trailblazing that our women veterans made, African American veterans who helped to integrate our Armed Services,” he said at the time. He added, “We are very, very proud of them.”
When Didlake was 38 and a mother of five, she joined the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) during World War II. She served stateside for about seven months during the war, as a private and driver.
She flew to Washington much more recently thanks to Talons Out Honor Flight, the Kalamazoo-based branch of a national network that arranges free-of-charge flights for veterans, especially those from WWII, to visit the memorials dedicated to the wars they fought in.
During her tour, Didlake also saw the World War II Memorial, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial and the changing of the guard at Arlington National Cemetery.
After her meeting with Obama, Didlake, who is a bit hard of hearing, had little to say. But when her granddaughter asked her if it was “fantastic,” her grandmother beamed like a schoolgirl, saying, “Yeah.”
Tribune News Service/Detroit Free Press
