Strongsville – She’s short on height but long on life, and that’s exactly what landed Winifred Ann Kelley of Strongsville in the record books.
Born July 31, 1923, Kelley is 94 years old and carries the Guinness World Record for being the oldest living person with Dwarfism. Guinness verified her last year at the age of 93.
Dwarfism is typically defined as someone with an adult height of 4 feet 10 inches or shorter due to a medical or genetic condition. Kelley is 3 feet 8 inches.
“The rest of the family is all natural height,” Kelley said from her Lorraine Drive home. “Nobody else but me is small.”
The second youngest of five kids, Kelley has called Northeast Ohio home her entire life. She earned a Master's Degree from Case Western Reserve University in 1984 and speaks fondly of her many years working at the Federal Reserve Bank and Veteran’s Administration.
Kelley possesses a smile that radiates grace, spunk, and beauty and she’s eager to share the secret to her long joyful life.
“Well I'll tell you I remained single, had no children, and did a lot of reading.”
Kelley says earning the Guinness World Record felt like winning an Olympic gold medal. Now, her bucket list wish is to meet 96-year-old actress Betty White.
Kelley’s story is being told as part of the WKYC Morning Show’s Record Breakers series airing during the Winter Olympics. In honor of U.S. Olympic athletes breaking records, WKYC wanted to focus on record breakers in Northeast Ohio.