Francis’ confirmed age made her the 54th oldest person ever.
Sad news out of Texas, folks.
Elizabeth Francis, the oldest person in the U.S.—and the third-oldest person in the world—died peacefully at the age of 115 on Tuesday, Houston Public Media reports.
According to LongeviQuest, Francis’ validated age made her the 54th oldest person to ever live, and the 21st oldest American in history.
The longtime Houston resident lived with her 95-year-old daughter Dorothy Williams and her granddaughter, Ethel Harrison, who served as the supercentenarian’s primary caretaker, until her death.
William Taft was president when Francis was born in Louisiana on July 25, 1909. After her mother died when she was 11, she and her five siblings were sent to different homes. Francis ended up in Houston, where she was raised by her aunt and has lived since.
Dorothy, her only child, was born in 1928. Francis was a single mother, operating a coffee shop for almost 20 years before retiring in 1975. She moved in with her daughter in 1999 and has been there ever since. Incredibly, Francis didn’t need a wheelchair until she was 108.
“I just feel like living every day!” she told LongeviQuest’s Ben Meyers earlier this year.
In addition to a lifetime of abstaining from alcohol and cigarettes, Harrison told The Washington Post in August 2023 that her grandmother’s simple life also likely contributed to her incredible longevity.
“She never learned to drive, so she took the bus to work or people in the family would give her a ride. She also did a lot of walking, so maybe that explains some of her longevity,” she said. “Her life was always pretty simple: early to bed, early to rise, work hard, then come home and make a nutritious meal and be with family.”
Rest in peace, Miss Elizabeth.
