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Virginia ‘Ginny’ Oliver, Maine’s ‘Lobster Lady,’ Dies at 105

She spent nearly a century hauling traps after starting as a child in a Rockland lobstering family, becoming a celebrated face of Maine’s coastal culture.

Overview

  • Oliver's friend Wayne Gray told WMTW she died late Wednesday at a hospital of natural causes at about 11 p.m.
  • Born in 1920, she began lobstering around age 10 and worked for more than 90 years, often alongside her son off Rockland.
  • She was widely regarded as Maine’s oldest active lobster trapper, with reports differing on whether she stopped at 103 or continued past her 104th birthday.
  • Her story reached national and international audiences through a documentary, multiple books, and a 2022 feature on WCVB’s Chronicle.
  • Maine Governor Janet Mills and the Maine Lobstermen’s Association praised her work ethic and legacy in tributes following her death.