Elizabeth Francis
, America's oldest person, turned 115 this week and fulfilled her heart's desire of having two slices of cake -- something she wished last year if she could make it to her 115th birthday. Her single tip on how to live a long and happy life is to 'speak your mind and don't hold your tongue'.
Born in 1909 in Louisiana, Elizabeth has seen World War ! to the sinking of Titanic, the Great Depression, the first airplane flight across the Atlantic, 20 presidents and World War II.
"She's surprised us all," her granddaughter said. Elizabeth's daughter is now 95 years old. Elizabeth raised her as a single mother as she ran a coffee shop in Houston. She never learnt driving and only took the bus or walked.
Now the mother and daughter stay together and enjoy sitting next to each other and watch old episodes of 'Good Times'.
Elizabeth became America's oldest person in February after Edie Ceccarelli, the previous record holder, died a few weeks after her 116th birthday in California.
In April, Ben Meyers of LongeviQuest — an organization that tracks the oldest people in the world — presented Francis with a plaque celebrating her as the new record holder as the oldest person in America.
“I asked her the other night how she feels about turning 115 and she smiled and said, ‘I just thank the good Lord that I’m here,’” Harrison told the Washington Post.
“She says she has nothing to complain about, and the rest of our family feels the same way.”
The report said that Francis now speaks in a faint whisper and has slowed down a lot in the recent months. She sleeps much more that she did six months before but she still speaks her mind and doesn't hold back, the granddaughter said.