Hester Ford, the oldest living American, has died

Ford was at least 115 years and 245 days old at the time of her death, according to the Gerontology Research Group, which verified her as the oldest American in 2019. Her family, however, told CNN that she born August 15, 1904., which would make him 116 years old.

Ford was born in Lancaster, South Carolina, to Peter and Frances McCardell. She married John Ford and had 12 children: eight girls and four boys.

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“It’s overwhelming, but it’s an awakening experience to realize that my grandmother was not just a normal woman, she was EXTRA ordinary,” Patterson-Powe told CNN via email.

“She never fit into a single box for all boxes,” as she was an inventive and innovative teacher, a pioneer who marked her own trends within the community and at home, ”she said.

Patterson-Powe described his great-grandmother as firm and unwavering in the face of adversity.

“He never complained, never showed defeat or entertained a party of pity,” Patterson-Powe said.

With the passage of Ford, the Gerontology Research Group lists Thelma Sutcliffe of Nebraska, born in 1906, as the oldest living American. The oldest person in the world is 118-year-old Japanese Kane Tanaka, he says.

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