Hester Ford who was recognized as the oldest living American died four months before turning 117.
This incredible lady had 12 children, 68 grandchildren, 125 great-grandchildren, and at least 120 great-great-grandchildren, as per NBC News.
Her family took to the social media to share the news of Ford’s passing. “Her light shined beyond her local area and she lived beyond a century with memories containing real-life experience of over 100 years,” they wrote.
Rest in peace: Hester Ford, who was the oldest living American, has died at 116, according to a family statement posted on social media. She had 12 children, 48 grandchildren, 108 great-grandchildren, and approximately 120 great-great-grandchildren. https://t.co/jjYUAZhPWw
— WFAA (@wfaa) April 18, 2021
Ford was born in North Carolina where she grew up picking cotton, plowing fields, and canning vegetables before she married at the age of only 14. After marriage, she moved to Charlotte, where she lived her entire life.
“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,” Ford’s family wrote in a post.
Hester Ford, the oldest person in America, has passed away at the age of 116 in North Carolina. Hester was born in 1905 when Teddy Roosevelt was president and leaves behind over 100 great-grandchildren.
RIP Hester Ford pic.twitter.com/xiR8o9fLlN
— Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) April 18, 2021
When women were given the right to vote in America, Ford was already 15 years old. She lived through two world wars, two global pandemics, 21 different presidential elections and the moon landing.
Ford’s husband died back in 1963, at the age of 57. Until the age of 108, Ford lived in her home all by herself, but after an accident during which she fell and hurt her ribs, some of her family members moved in with her in order to be able to assist her.
Rest in peace, Hester.