“Life isn’t about how you survived the storm. It’s about how you learned how to dance in the rain.” -unknown
Hester McCardell Ford, believed to be the oldest living person in the United States and among the oldest human beings on the planet, lived a life that not only survived several storms, tragedies and pain, but lived to see milestones, triumphs, and history changed. Her peaceful soul died in her home in Charlotte on Saturday, according to her family. She was at least 115, but possibly as old as 116.
The Charlotte Observer writes that she lived more than twice as long as her late husband — John Ford, who died at age 57 in 1963 — and was the matriarch of an enormous family: 68 grandchildren, 125 great-grandchildren, and at least 120 great-great-grandchildren.
“She was a pillar and stalwart to our family and provided much-needed love, support and understanding to us all,” said her great-granddaughter, Tanisha Patterson-Powe, in a statement emailed to the Observer on Saturday. “She was the seed that sprouted leaves and branches which is now our family. God saw fit to make her the matriarch of your family and blessed us to be her caretakers and recipients of her legacy.”
According to her family, U.S. Census Bureau documents indicate she was born in 1905, but then another set of Census Bureau documents say she was born in 1904. Either way — whether Ford was 115 or 116 — before her death she was the oldest person on record living in the United States, based on data compiled by the Gerontology Research Group.
Ford was born in Lancaster, South Carolina, to Peter and Frances McCardell. She went on to marry John Ford and had 12 children — eight girls and four boys.
“It is overwhelming, yet an awakening experience to realize my grandmother wasn’t just an ordinary woman, she was E-X-T-R-A-ordinary,” Patterson-Powe told CNN in an email.
“She never ‘fit into a one size fit all box’ as she was a master inventor and innovator — a trailblazer setting her own trends within the community and her home,” Patterson-Powe continued.”She never complained, never showed defeat or entertained a pity-party.”
“Her light shined beyond her local area and she lived beyond a century with memories containing real life experience of over 100 years,” she went on to say. “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.”
Last Aug. 15, the Charlotte great-great-grandmother celebrated her birthday during a global pandemic — the second of her lifetime. She also lived through the influenza pandemic in 1918, when she was 13/14.
Imagine being able to live through two pandemics and not look like or sound like you’ve been through anything that tough–that’s what was able to do.
What does “living right” look like for us nowadays? Well, we talked with a few centenarians (people who lived to be over 100) and found three common traits:
The family of Ford said they tried to keep her pretty active. They did little exercises like calisthenics in her chair and walking exercises from her chair to the hallway and back. You don’t have to run a marathon but some form of activity, in one way or another every day, is a common theme. Vision impairment, hearing loss and even needing assistance to walk need not stop you.
Ford had certain little games she liked, like the Go Fish game, where she has to catch the fish and pull it out. She also had an Etch-a-Sketch, plus she loved to do puzzles together with family and look at family albums. One the best thing she loved to do was to watch home videos and listen to gospel music. Keeping the mind active has shown to slow the aging process significantly
The long-standing pursuit of helping someone else out seems to be another common thread among those who age well. The age old saying that “We are blessed to be a blessing” is something that Ford lived throughout her life.
The oldest living human currently is Japan’s Kane Tanaka, who turned 118 on Jan. 2. Young said Tanaka is now the only known remaining mother of a WWII veteran.
The new “oldest living American” is believed to be Thelma Sutcliffe, 114, of Nebraska. Sutcliffe is more than a year younger than Hester Ford.
Rest well, Mrs. Ford – such a good and faithful servant.
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