114-Year-Old Elizabeth Francis Becomes Oldest Living Person In US: “It’s The Lord’s Blessing”
US

114-Year-Old Elizabeth Francis Becomes Oldest Living Person In US: “It’s The Lord’s Blessing”

  • At 114, African-American Elizabeth Francis in Texas has become the oldest living person in the US
  • She attained the milestone after the death of the title holder Edith Ceccarelli in Northern California, US
  • Per LongeviQuest, an organisation that gathers the history of human lifespans, Francis was born in Louisiana on July 25, 1909

Elizabeth Francis, a 114-year-old African-American woman in Texas, has become the oldest living person in the US following the death of 116-year-old Edith Ceccarelli in Northern California.

Ceccarelli, who lived in California her entire life, died on February 22, 17 days after her 116th birthday.

Photo of Elizabeth Francis.
114-year-old Elizabeth Francis becomes the oldest living American. Photo credit: @NBCNewYork.
Source: Twitter

Historic milestone

Francis formally became the oldest documented living American at 114 years, 7 months and 2 days old as of February 27, 2024.

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Per the Gerontology Research GGroup’srankings, Francis is the world’s oldest living person, trailing only Juan Vicente Perez Mora (Venezuela, 114), Inah Canabarro Lucas (Brazil, 115), Tomiko Itooka (Japan, 115), and Maria Branyas Moera (Spain, 116). Branyas was born a few months before Ceccarelli.

Secret for Francis’F’longevity

Francis has attributed her longevity to her faith in God and the Lord's blessings, which kept her all these years.

“It’s the good Lord’s good blessing ... I just thank God I’m here,” she said in an interview with TODAY.com in August 2023. “I just thank God I’m here.”

A look into Francis’Flife

According to LongeviQuest, an organisation that tracks human longevity, Francis was born in Louisiana on July 25, 1909. After her mother died in 1920, Francis and her five siblings were separated. She ended up in Houston and was reared by her aunt.

She lives with her 94-year-old daughter, Dorothy Williams. Francis moved in with her daughter in 1999. The 114-year-old has three grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren. Francis is now cared for by one of her granddaughters.

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The supercentenarian was presented with a plaque honouring her status as the oldest living Texan at her 114th birthday celebration in July 2023.

MzGee celebrates a surprise birthday with Jackie Appiah and others on UTV

Separately, YEN.com.gh reported that Ghanaian journalist and presenter MzGee, born Gloria Akpene Nyarku-Acquah, celebrated her birthday with some entertainers on United Showbiz.

The media personality turned a new age on Saturday, April 1, and marked the day with gratitude on her verified Instagram account.

The United Showbiz host thanked God for being extremely good to her in the heartwarming post.

Source: YEN.com.gh

Authors:
Nathaniel Crabbe avatar

Nathaniel Crabbe (Human-Interest editor) Nathaniel Crabbe is a journalist and editor with a degree in Journalism from the Ghana Institute of Journalism, where he graduated in 2015. He earned his master's from UPSA in December 2023. Before becoming an editor/writer of political/entertainment and human interest stories at Asaase Radio, Crabbe was a news reporter at TV3 Ghana. With experience spanning over ten years, he now works at YEN.com.gh as a human interest editor. You can reach him via nathaniel.crabbe@yen.com.gh.