From the New York Post: America’s oldest person turned 115 years old this week, and she offered a single tip on how to live a long, happy life: “Speak your mind and don’t hold your tongue.”
Elizabeth Francis of Houston — who has lived through everything from World War I to the sinking of the Titanic — celebrated her birthday Thursday with two slices of vanilla cake, the Washington Post reported.
“We all know that we have to punch that [final] ticket someday, so we’re amazed and grateful that she’s still here,” Francis’s 69-year-old granddaughter, Ethel Harrison, told the paper.
Born in Louisiana in 1909, Francis raised her now-95-year-old daughter as a single mother, ran a coffee shop in Houston and preferred walking over driving.
When Francis was only 11 years old, her mother died, so she and her five siblings were separated and sent to live with relatives. She ran a coffee shop at ABC 13 News in Houston for 20 years. Since she never learned to drive, she walked or took the bus everywhere she went.
According to the Washington Post, Francis lives with her 95-year-old daughter, Dorothy Williams, who is her only child. Several caregivers look after them both, and the mother and daughter spend their days watching old sitcoms together on television.
According to her granddaughter, Francis doesn’t take any medication, except an occasional aspirin. She has three grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.
Below is a video from last year, when Francis celebrated her 114th birthday.
The Oldest Living Person in the United States
Elizabeth Francis, a 115-year-old woman from Houston, Texas, celebrated her birthday on July 25, 2024, becoming the oldest living person in the United States and the fourth oldest person in the world.
Born in 1909, she has lived… pic.twitter.com/YPUqOfaaRp
— MissFacto (@missfacto) July 26, 2024
Happiest of birthdays to Elizabeth Francis! She turned 115 years old, making her the oldest living person in the country! @khou11 https://t.co/lkSplnpwl5
— KHOU 11 News Houston (@KHOU) July 26, 2024
Today, Elizabeth Francis — the oldest person in the U.S. — celebrates her 115th birthday.
“She’s led a simple life and has always stayed busy with her family,” said Francis’s granddaughter, Ethel Harrison, 69. https://t.co/6V2q0Eo029
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) July 25, 2024
