Following the passing of 116-year-old Edith “Edie” Ceccarelli in Northern California, a 114-year-old woman in Texas has emerged as the oldest living American.
Houston resident Elizabeth Francis now holds the title of the country’s oldest documented living person at 114 years, 7 months, and 2 days old as of February 27, according to the Gerontology Research Group.
In the Gerontology Research Group’s global rankings, Francis ranks as the fifth oldest living person in the world, trailing Juan Vicente Perez Mora of Venezuela (114), Inah Canabarro Lucas of Brazil (115), Tomiko Itooka of Japan (115), and Maria Branyas Moera of Spain (116). Branyas was born several months prior to Ceccarelli.
Ceccarelli, a lifelong resident of California, passed away on Feb. 22 — 17 days after marking her 116th birthday. In her final years, Ceccarelli called Willits home, the town of her birth and upbringing, where her birthday celebrations became an annual tradition in Mendocino County.
Born in Louisiana on July 25, 1909, according to LongeviQuest, an organization that tracks human longevity, Francis faced upheaval early in life when her mother passed away in 1920. She and her five siblings were dispersed to different homes, eventually leading her to Houston, where she was raised by her aunt.
Francis, who resides with her 94-year-old daughter, Dorothy Williams, has three grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren. She moved in with her daughter in 1999.
