Hester Ford: America's Oldest Person Dies at the Age of 116
- Hester Ford was born in South Carolina in 1904 and died on April 17, 2021, leaving behind 12 children, 48 grandchildren, and 108 great-grandchildren
- When Ford was interviewed a while back on how she had managed to remain alive for over a century, she revealed that she just lived right
- In her 116 years of being on earth, Ford had gone through several pandemics among them was 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.
Ford, who was born in South Carolina in 1904, died on April 17, 2021, in North Carolina, leaving behind 12 children, 48 grandchildren, and 108 great-grandchildren.
Source: UGC
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.
A great-grandchild, Patterson-Powe wrote:
"It is overwhelming, yet an awakening experience to realize my grandmother wasn't just an ordinary woman, she was extraordinary."
One of her grandchildren, Mary Hill said:
“We are honored and we just thank God for the opportunity to celebrate her.”
In her 116 years of being on earth, Ford has gone through several pandemics among them was 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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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a Nigerian man with the Twitter handle @Iam_ChisomLucky took to the social media platform to celebrate his grandpa who turned 113 years.
The young man shared adorable photos from the centenarian's birthday, and tweeps flooded his comment section to celebrate the old man and wish him well.
Source: Legit.ng
Tunde Ososanya Tunde Ososanya, a former senior editor, is a graduate of Mass Communication from the Nigerian Institute of Journalism. He's passionate about what he does and finds fulfilment in informing the people. Ososanya is the author of Later Tonight: a Collection of Short Stories.
Khadijah Thabit (Copyeditor) Khadijah Thabit is an editor with over 3 years of experience editing and managing contents such as articles, blogs, newsletters and social leads. She has a BA in English and Literary Studies from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Khadijah joined Legit.ng in September 2020 as a copyeditor and proofreader for the Human Interest, Current Affairs, Business, Sports and PR desks. As a grammar police, she develops her skills by reading novels and dictionaries. Email: khadeeejathabit@gmail.com
