110-Year-Old Christian Woman In Virginia Goes Home To God Just Months Before Turning 111

One of the oldest women in the world and the oldest person in Virginia has passed away a little before her 111th birthday.

After enjoying a couple of cups of ice cream, Viola Roberts Lampkin Brown, who is not only the oldest person in the state of Virginia but also one of the oldest around the world, has passed away. She was set to celebrate her 111th birthday five months from now.

According to her great-nephew, Andrew Roberts, the oldest Christian woman "went quietly in her sleep around 1 a.m. on Saturday," the Christian Post reported. The centenarian's obituary said that she passed in her home in Berryville, Virginia, "where she had lived since 1936."

Oldest Christian Woman Said Her Faith Helped Her Survive Life's Challenges

Brown was a strong Christian woman who in 2021 shared about how her faith helped her get through both World War I and World War II, as well as global pandemics and segregation. Brown, a Black woman who was born on October 4, 1911, said that her faith kept her in such perfect peace as she lived. In fact, she never needed any prescription drugs until she was 101.

Brown's 79 year old daughter, Vonceil Hill reported that doctors had only placed her mother on low dose medication for high blood pressure when she was 101years old. Before the prescriptions, the oldest Christian woman lived on a steady diet of Scripture and homegrown vegetables such as green beans, potatoes and tomatoes that was harvested from her own garden that she tended until she became a centenarian.

Roberts recounted how Brown had "a last spurt before [she passed." Before the "spurt," Brown had been transitioning for a few days. Her extended family was called in on May 19 to get ready to bid their final farewell. But the oldest Christian women suddenly had a burst of energy last Friday. Roberts recounted how Brown "kidna came around" and "was going in and out." She even had two cups of ice cream, which was the last thing she ate before going to bed.

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Oldest Christian Woman in Virginia Was Married to a Church Leader

During her long, healthy life, Brown was married to a church deacon named John Strange Lampkin, who passed away in 1982. The oldest Christian woman married again in 1988 to the pastor of Zion Baptist Church, Rev. Paul Brown, who taught Sunday School at the church for many years.

Roberts shared that Brown's faith in God was central to how she managed to live so long. He described his personal experience of her as "nothing but love and joy whenever I'm in her presence." He added, "There's never one minute that Jesus doesn't drip off her lips. It's as if she embodies Him." Brown would also give "honor and praise" to God with everything she "talks about and does."

According to the Winchester Star, Brown lived through two pandemics, the Civil Rights Movement, and the two-time election of a Black president in her lengthy lifetime. She had received a letter from former President Barack Obama right after her 106th birthday. She will be laid to rest on June 4.at Milton Valley Cemetery in Berryville.