America’s oldest woman turned 115 this week, and she has just one tip for living a long and happy life: “Speak your mind and don’t keep your mouth shut.”
Elizabeth Francis of Houston, who has lived through everything from World War I to the sinking of the Titanic, celebrated her birthday on Thursday with two slices of vanilla cake. The Washington Post reported.
“We all know we have to break through it. [final] “Frances’ granddaughter Ethel Harrison, 69, is amazed and grateful that she is still alive because she hopes one day she will be able to buy a ticket,” she told the paper.
“She surprised us all.”
Born in Louisiana in 1909, Frances raised her daughter, now 95, as a single mother, ran a coffee shop in Houston and preferred walking to driving.
This spry centenarian lived through the Great Depression, the first transatlantic airplane flight and 20 presidents, from William Howard Taft to Joe Biden.
Frances now lives with her daughter, who is pushed into her bedroom in a wheelchair every morning to watch classic sitcoms.
“They enjoy sitting next to each other and laughing and watching old episodes of ‘Good Times’ and ‘The Jeffersons’ on TV,” Harrison said.
“They also love watching The Price is Right. They both feel lucky and happy to be together at such a late stage in their lives.”
Francis was the previous longevity record holder in February. Eddie Ceccarellidied in Mendocino County, California, a few weeks after his 116th birthday.
In April, Francis was presented with a plaque by the organization Longevity Quest as the oldest person in the United States to receive the honor. Tracking the world’s oldest people.
“I asked her the other night how it felt to be 115 years old, and she smiled and said, ‘I just thank God I’m here,'” Harrison told The Washington Post.
“She says she has no complaints and so does our family.”
Harrison said he hopes Francis lives to be 117, the oldest person currently in the world. Spain’s Maria Branyas.
“Ordering a birthday cake for my grandmother every year is an occasion worth celebrating, knowing that she is still with us,” she said.
According to LongeviQuest, Francis is the fourth-oldest person in the world.
