The oldest person in America is a woman from Omaha.
Thelma Sutcliffe was born in 1906, according to the Gerontology Research Group. The 114-year-old is now the oldest living American after a North Carolina woman passed away this week, News Channel Nebraska reported Monday (April 19). Sutcliffe turned 114 in October.
The Associated Press shared a story about Sutcliffe on her 114th birthday on October 1, 2020. At that time, Sutcliffe was the oldest citizen in Nebraska, the fourth-oldest in America and the 11th-oldest worldwide, according to the Gerontology Research Group. Sutcliffe is “doing fine,” activities and volunteer coordinator Hannah Astarita said on Sutcliffe’s 114th birthday.
The Associated Press reported that Sutcliffe married at age 17 in 1924. Her husband, Bill, died in the 1970s, and the couple didn’t have children. Sutcliffe’s sister lived to be nearly 107 years old.
Hester Ford, of Charlotte, previously held the title as the country’s oldest citizen. She celebrated her birthday in August, turning either 115 or 116 (records with her birth year are reportedly inconsistent). Ford had 12 children, 68 grandchildren, 125 great-grandchildren and 120 great-great grandchildren.
One of her great-granddaughters, Tanisha Patterson-Powe, said in a statement that Ford was “a pillar and stalwart to our family and provided much-needed love, support and understanding to us all.”
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