The oldest living American, Hester Ford, died over the weekend at 116 years old. Her family says she passed away peacefully in her Charlotte, North Carolina home, where she lives for more than 50 years. She was reportedly born on August 15, 1904, in Lancaster, South Carolina. The Charlotte Observer writes, “She lived more than twice as long as her late husband — John Ford, who died at age 57 in 1963 — and was the matriarch of an enormous family: 68 grandchildren, 125 great-grandchildren, and at least 120 great-great-grandchildren.”

WCNC in North Carolina reports, “When Ford was born, Theodore Roosevelt was elected to his second term as President of the United States. Her family says Ford worked on a farm where she not only planted and picked cotton but plowed the field and cut wood. ” A statement from her family read:

Her light shined beyond her local area and she lived beyond a century with memories containing real life experience of over 100 years. She not only represented the advancement of our family but of the Black African American race and culture in our country. She was a reminder of how far we have come as people on this earth. She has been celebrated all over the world by local governments, community leaders, social media, foreign dignities and Presidents as a cherished jewel of society for holding the honor of being the oldest living person in America.

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