Woman dies days after being named world’s oldest person

LITTLE ROCK: Just days after becoming the world’s oldest documented person, 116-year-old Gertrude Weaver ( pic) has died.

Weaver became the oldest person in the world after the death of a 117-year-old Japanese woman last week, according to records kept by the Los Angeles-based Gerontology Research Group. Weaver was born in 1898. The Williams Funeral Home confirmed Weaver died on Monday morning at the Silver Oaks Health and Rehabilitation Centre in Camden, about 160km southwest of Little Rock, Arkansas.

Camden Mayor Marie Trisollini had the chance to chat with Weaver last week when the supercentenarian’s roommate celebrated her 100th birthday.

“She was a really sweet lady. She was relatively perky and coherent when I talked with her before the party,” Trisollini said.

“When you asked for advice on how to live a long life she would say: ‘Use a lot of skin moisturiser, treat everyone nicely, love your neighbour and eat your own cooking. Don’t eat at fast food places.’”

The Research Group was able to verify Weaver’s age using census records and a marriage certificate from 1915 that listed her age as 17.

Other records pointed to a possible April birthday but since those could not be confirmed, the group used the day Weaver had always celebrated her birthday – July 4.

Trisollini said that the nursing home and several members of the community had been making preparations for Weaver’s 117th birthday party.

Weaver, who was born in southwest Arkansas to sharecropper parents, told nursing home staff last week that she wanted to invite President Barack Obama because she had voted for him twice. — AP