Elizabeth Francis, at age 115 presumed to be the oldest living person in the United States, died peacefully in her house in Houston on Oct. 22.
“We are saddened to report the passing of Ms. Elizabeth Francis, Oldest American, at the age of 115,” LongeviQuest, a database that tracks the world’s oldest individuals, announced.
“We send our deepest condolences to the family of the unforgettable Ms. Elizabeth Francis,” the organization said.
Francis was born in 1909 in Louisiana. At the age of 11, she lost her mother. She and her five siblings were sent to different homes. Francis was sent to live with her aunt in Houston, Texas, where she would live the rest of her life.
In recent years, Francis lived with her only child, 96-year-old daughter Dorothy Williams, in their Houston home, LongeviQuest reported. Their primary caregiver was Francis’ 70-year-old granddaughter, Ethel Harrison—a nurse with more than 40 years of experience.
Francis lived through a slew of historic events: World War I, the Spanish flu, the Great Depression, another World War, the Cold War, and the COVID pandemic, but none of that could break her joyful disposition.
Her family and friends attributed Francis’ longevity and good health to her lifelong abstinence from alcohol or smoking, her high activity levels into old age, and the loving warmth of the people around her—warmth she was herself loved and respected for.
Francis credited her longevity to her faith in God.
“He who does not love does not know God, for God is love,” was her favorite Bible verse.
When asked for life advice in April 2023, she said: “If the Good Lord gave it to you, use it! Speak your mind, don’t bite your tongue!”
When asked in April 2024 how she felt being the Oldest Living American, Francis replied, “I just feel like living every day!” At the time, she didn’t need hearing aids or glasses to recognize people.
Longevity genes run strong through Francis’ family. Not only is her daughter coming close to being a centenarian, but Francis’ older sister Bertha Johnson (1904–2011) lived to the age of 106, making the two of them one of the oldest sibling pairs ever recorded.
According to LongeviQuest’s database, Francis was the third-oldest person in the world at the time of her passing, superseded only by Tomiko Itooka from Japan and Inah Canbarro Lucas from Brazil, both 116, a mere sixteen days apart.
At 115 years and 89 days, Francis ranks the 54th oldest person to ever live, and the 21st oldest American ever, with the caveat that only people whose ages LongeviQuest was able to verify, make it into their list.
The oldest person verified by LongeviQuest to date is Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment, who died in August 1997 at 122 years old. The oldest American verified by LongeviQuest to date is Sarah Knauss, who lived to 119 years of age, passing away in December 1999.