ROCKLAND — Virginia Oliver, The Lobster Lady, passed away at a local hospital on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, at 11 p.m., according to local historian and close friend Wayne Gray. She was 105 years old.

Word of her passing is spreading officially through the local community today, as well as to some of the news organizations outside of Maine who have followed her story.

Oliver fascinated people around the world through her continued lobstering at the age of 99 and beyond, getting out on the water with her son Max. Despite false reports circulating the internet, Oliver retired from lobstering a few years ago, around the age of 103, according to Gray.

If you’ve ever Googled Oliver, or the Lobster Lady name, on the internet, says Gray, it’s amazing how many mentions appear.

“It’s flabbergasting the number of publications that have written about her,” he said, in a Jan. 23 telephone conversation.

Magazines, newspapers, broadcast networks, radio stations, Zoom interviews. France, Canada, Australia, and a U.S. based German-language broadcast publication that spent several days with Oliver and attended a lobster cookout organized for the news crew. All three major U.S. networks spotlighted her, including Steve Hartman for CBS and ABC’s end-of-show feel good stories; as well, two children’s books of her story were produced.

Time and again, news people would remark to Gray about Oliver’s natural television presence. She was somebody viewers wanted to watch on the T.V. screen. The Rockland native from a working-class background took the interviews and celebrity status in stride.

Her story spread initially from a local history project by a few historians connected to the Rockland Historical Society. They wanted to video record the unique stories of the locals around them. Somebody knew somebody who knew somebody who was a female lobsterman in a rough and tough industry that was dominated – at the time – by men. To add to the story, with grit, salt, and motherliness, she was still catching those lobsters at age 99.

"She was an inspiration for not only senior citizens, but everyone in the industry," said Gray, in a statement.

Funeral arrangements are still being determined, with the assistance of Burpee, Carpenter, and Hutchins Funeral Home, in Rockland.

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Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com