Elizabeth Francis, United States’ oldest living person, dies at 115
The Gerontology Research Group is saddened to report that Mrs. Elizabeth Francis, the oldest living person in the USA, sadly died in Houston, Texas, USA on 22 October 2024 at the age of 115 years, 89 days.
Elizabeth Francis was born in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, USA on 25 July 1909 to John Francis (1880–1969) and Virginia Matthews (1880–1920). Upon her mother’s death, she and her five siblings were sent to different homes. Francis was sent to Houston, where she was raised by her aunt.
On 1 September 1928, she gave birth to her only child, a daughter Dorothy. As a single mother supporting herself and her daughter, she operated a coffee shop at ABC 13 News in Houston for approximately 20 years until her retirement in 1975.
In 1999, she moved in with her daughter in Houston. Her sister, Bertha Johnson (1904–2011), lived to the age of 106, making them one of the oldest sibling pairs ever.
On 25 July 2019, she celebrated her 110th birthday, becoming a supercentenarian.
On 21 June 2020, following the death of 111-year-old Maria De La Luz Talamantes, she became the oldest living person in the U.S. state of Texas.
On 6 February 2024, at the age of 114 years, 196 days, she surpassed the final age of Eunice Sanborn, becoming the oldest person ever to have lived in the U.S. state of Texas.
On 22 February 2024, following the death of 116-year-old Edie Ceccarelli, she became the oldest living person in the United States.
At the time of her death, she was the third-oldest living person in the world, behind 116-year-old Tomiko Itooka of Japan and 116-year-old Inah Canabarro Lucas of Brazil. Following her death, the new oldest living person in the United States is 114-year-old Naomi Whitehead (born 26 September 1910) of Pennsylvania, and the new oldest living person in the U.S. state of Texas is 113-year-old Winnie Felps (born 10 October 1911).
Oldest person in the US, Elizabeth Francis, dies at 115 years old in Houston