Gertrude Weaver

Gertrude Weaver (née Gaines; July 4, 1898 – April 6, 2015) was an American supercentenarian. She was born in Arkansas near the border with Texas. She became the oldest living person in the United States upon the death of Dina Manfredini on December 17, 2012, and became the oldest living person in the world on April 1, 2015 following the death of Japanese woman Misao Okawa, until her own death five days later. At the time of her death she was the seventh verified oldest person ever and the third oldest person ever from the United States after Sarah Knauss and Lucy Hannah.

Biography

Weaver was born in southwestern Arkansas to Charles Gaines (b. May 1861) and Ophelia Jeffreys (b. December 1866), who were African American sharecroppers. She married on July 18, 1915 and had four children. At the time of her 116th birthday one son, Joe, was still alive at age 93.

At 104, she moved to the Camden nursing home after she broke her hip. With rehabilitation, she recovered from the injury and was able to move back to her home with the help of her granddaughter. At 109, she returned to the nursing home, Silver Oaks Health and Rehabilitation in Camden, Arkansas.

Her health declined somewhat after her 115th birthday but she still left her room for meals and activities at the nursing home. Weaver did not have any chronic health problems typical of people her age; she slept well and did not drink alcohol or smoke.

Weaver told the Associated Press that there were three factors that have contributed to her longevity: "Trusting in the Lord, hard work and loving everybody." Weaver added a fourth factor when she told Time magazine that trying to do your best is another factor adding: "Just do what you can, and if we can't, we can't" or, in other words, "Kindness".

At her 116th birthday celebration, the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) announced that they had verified Weaver's age making her the oldest verified living American and they presented her with a plaque inscribed with her title as oldest American on it (the GRG and Guinness World Records established that Weaver was older than Jeralean Talley, who was previously thought to be the oldest; with Weaver's death, Talley is currently the verified oldest individual in both the United States and the world). Weaver also received a letter from President Barack Obama, and the Mayor of Camden declared her birthday "Gertrude Day."

On April 6, 2015, Weaver died at Silver Oaks Health and Rehabilitation Center at the age of 116 from pneumonia.