Hester Ford: America's Oldest Person Dies Aged 116 Years
- Hester Ford was born in South Carolina in 1904 and died on April 17 leaving behind 12 children, 48 grandchildren, and 108 great-grandchildren
- When Ford was interviewed a while back on how she has managed to remain alive for over a century, she revealed that she just lived right
- In her 116 years of being on earth, Ford has gone through several pandemics among them the 1918 influenza and most recently, Covid-19
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Hester Ford, America’s oldest person, breathed her last after living for an impressive 116 years.
Source: UGC
Ford, who was born in South Carolina in 1904, died on April 17 in North Carolina leaving behind 12 children, 48 grandchildren, and 108 great-grandchildren.
There, however, exists conflicting records on her actual date of birth, with one set showing that she was born on August 15, 1904, while another records her year of birth as 1905.
Despite the unclear information, the Gerontology Research Group declared in 2020 that she was the oldest person in America.
In her honor, local county commissioners of Mecklenburg County officially declared September 1 as Mother Hester McCardell Ford Day.
It is reported that Ford lost her husband of 45 years in 1963, a half-century ago, leaving her a widow.
"It is overwhelming, yet an awakening experience to realize my grandmother wasn't just an ordinary woman, she was extraordinary," wrote Patterson-Powe, her great grandchild.
“We are honored and we just thank God for the opportunity to celebrate her,” said Mary Hill, one of her grandchildren.
In her 116 years of being on earth, Ford has gone through several pandemics among them the 1918 influenza and most recently, Covid-19.
When Ford was interviewed a while back on how she has managed to remain alive for over a century, she revealed that she ate half of a banana for breakfast on daily basis and just lived right.
The world's oldest person, 118-year-old Kane Tanaka of Japan, is still alive.
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Source: Briefly News
Maryn Blignaut (Human-Interest HOD) Maryn Blignaut is the Human Interest manager and feature writer. She holds a BA degree in Communication Science, which she obtained from the University of South Africa in 2016. She joined the Briefly - South African News team shortly after graduating and has over six years of experience in the journalism field. Maryn passed the AFP Digital Investigation Techniques course (Google News Initiative), as well as a set of trainings for journalists by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at: maryn.blignaut@briefly.co.za
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.
