Elizabeth Francis, the oldest living person in the U.S., has died. She was 115 years old.
LongeviQuest, a global organization that tracks and verifies the oldest people in the world, confirmed the news Tuesday, calling the supercentenarian a "Houstonian icon and a cherished member of the community."
Francis died the third-oldest person in the world, the 54th oldest person ever to live and the 21st-oldest American ever to live, the organization said. When asked for life advice by LongeviQuest in 2023, Francis said, "If the Good Lord give it to you, use it! Speak your mind, don't bite your tongue!"
Though born in Louisiana on July 25, 1909, Francis spent most of her life in Houston, where she was sent to live with her aunt after her mother's passing while her five siblings went to other homes. In 1928, she had her only child, Dorothy Williams, and later operated a coffee shop at Houston's ABC 13 News until she retired in 1975 to support her life as a single mother.
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From 1999 until her death, Francis lived with now-95-year-old Dorothy and was primarily taken care of by her granddaughter, Ethel Harrison.
When she was 102, Francis' sister died at 106 years old, making the pair one of the oldest living siblings. By 112, Francis had amassed a lineage that included three grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
She became the oldest living person in the U.S. last year, when at her birthday party she joked that the secret to longevity — and not requiring a wheelchair for mobility until some seven years ago — was also eating whatever you want. However, Harrison said then that her grandma didn't drink or smoke and always made a habit of eating healthier as he grew up.
As of April, LongeviQuest reported Francis had continued to be visited daily by relatives, friends and fellow members of her congregation, not even needing hearing aids to converse.
The organization now says Naomi Whitehead is the oldest living person in the U.S. The 114-year-old currently resides in Greenville, Pennsylvania.
