Elizabeth Francis, the United States’ oldest living person, has died at the age of 115.
Francis peacefully passed away on Tuesday night while surrounded by her family, according to her granddaughter and caregiver, Ethel Harrison, who shared the news with ABC News on Wednesday.
“She was a person who loved people. She loved the Lord. Her faith was extremely strong,” said Harrison, 69. “She was always jolly, always asking, ‘How you doing? You okay?’ That was just her personality.”
Harrison also recalled her grandmother’s guiding principle in life and said: “Treat people like you want to be treated. That was her motto.”
At the time of her death, Francis was the oldest living person in the U.S. and also the third-oldest in the world, according to LongeviQuest, a global database tracking the world’s oldest individuals.
Francis was born in 1909, and turned 115 earlier this year, earning the title of “supercentenarian”, a term for individuals who live to 110 or older.
In an interview with ABC Houston affiliate KTRK-TV to celebrate her 114th birthday in 2023, Francis shared that she still felt youthful, and was grateful to be amongst the living. “I’m very, very young. Look at me, I’m like a little young chicken,” she said.
She attributed her longevity to her choices of not drinking and smoking, and also eating “everything” that was healthy.
Harrison noted that her grandmother always grew her own vegetables and preferred her meals from her kitchen rather than fast food.
“Whenever you went to her house, it didn’t matter what day it was — she was cooking,” Harrison said. “I think that had a lot to do with it, just how she took care of her body.”
Elizabeth Francis’ 96-year-old daughter, Dorothy Williams, also expressed amazement at her mother’s long life during the same interview, and said, “It’s hard to believe. It’s a blessing because she has been a wonderful mother and grandmother to all of us. She has been our backbone.”
Francis had lived most of her life in Houston, Texas, and although her family will miss her, they will be comforted by her remarkable impact on their lives and her lasting years on earth.
