World's Oldest TV Announcer Passed Away at 111: Shino Mori

It was only a few days ago that this desk commented on the world's oldest living man, 112, and now is a news of a most charming TV personality just passed away just as old.

Shino Mori is the person in focus. This lady died of age at 111, the eldest female announcer ever to serve a public television. Shino Mori died on August 23 and was survived by her eldest son Yoshimori Mori. Funeral slated at 10:30 a.m. August 26.

Shino Mori was charming in that she debuted as an announcer 2006 at age 102, the eldest female announcer in the world. Her assignment was to announce local events and happenings in her own compassionate Amakusa dialect. Her work, remarkable for her age, attracted attention both at home and abroad.

In May, 2011, Shino Mori sent her touching message to the victims of the mega-quake in Northeastern Japan saying "Please do not be hasty; take it easy". That was her last appearance.

Shino Mori was born in 1903, the same year the Wright brothers were born. A day after she was born the Russo-Japanese War broke out. She married at 24 and lost her husband at 32 and ever since she raised her five children single-handedly.
She lost two of her children of illness but she lived on to have 11 grandchildren, 19 grand-grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren - altogether a huge family 40!

At 111 Shino Mori was comfortable with iPad, fond of hot springs and gateball like any other elderly woman. She hails from Amakusa, the home of Christianity in Japan. The area has its own unique local dialect, which she "manipulated" so well in delivering local news. Her last appearance was in May, 2012.

She is succeeded at Amakusa TV by another less elderly female announter Fumiko Tajiri, 82.