Jeralean Talley

Jeralean Talley (née Kurtz; May 23, 1899 – June 17, 2015) was an American supercentenarian who was, at the age of 116 years, 25 days, the world's verified oldest living person. She was previously thought to be the oldest living American, from the death of Elsie Thompson on March 21, 2013 until Gertrude Weaver was verified to be older in July 2014. Upon Weaver's death on April 6, 2015, Talley became the oldest living American and oldest living person in the world. Talley received letters from U.S. President Barack Obama on her 114th and 116th birthdays acknowledging her unique status.

Talley was born on May 23, 1899 in Georgia. One of 12 children, she spent her early years living on a farm picking cotton and peanuts and digging sweet potatoes out of the ground. She moved to Inkster, Michigan, in 1935, and lived there till she died. In 1936, she married Alfred Talley (January 30, 1893 – October 17, 1988). They had one child, a daughter, Thelma Holloway, born in 1937. Jeralean and Alfred were married for 52 years before he died in October 1988, at the age of 95. Talley had three grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, and 4 great-great-grandchildren.

Talley only tried to drive a car once but pushed the wrong pedal, causing it to go in reverse rather than move forward. She never wanted to try again.

Health and lifestyle

According to her daughter Thelma, Jeralean stayed active in her later life by sewing dresses, making quilts and playing slot machines at casinos. She bowled until she was 104, when her legs got too weak, but still went on annual fishing trips with her friend Michael Kinloch and his son Tyler (who is also her godson). In May 2013, at age 114, she caught 7 catfish.

Talley was a member of the New Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church, whose members referred to her as “Mother Talley”. In May 2013, they celebrated her 114th birthday by officially naming the church's driveway after her. Talley also received a personalised letter from U.S. President Barack Obama, who wrote that she was “part of an extraordinary generation”. On her 116th birthday, Talley received another letter from Obama who wrote that the “breadth of her experience and depth of her wisdom reflects the long path our nation has traveled since 1899”.

She lived by the Golden Rule: “Treat others the way you want to be treated”. She was known in the community for her wisdom and wit, she had sometimes been asked for advice. She had previously advised people to use common sense, saying “I don’t have much education but what little sense I got, I try to use it”.

Death

Talley died at home after a week of hospitalization. She had prayed not to suffer before death, and reportedly died peacefully. Regarding her great age, she had been quoted as saying "There's nothing I can do about it."