Oldest person in the U.S. turns 115 today: ‘She’s surprised us all’

When Elizabeth Francis turned 114 years old last year, she said if she made it to her 115th birthday, she had a simple wish: two slices of cake.

Today, Francis — the oldest person in the U.S. — celebrates that birthday. Her family plans to present her with a large floral-covered vanilla cream sheet cake, her favorite flavor.

She can have as many slices as she’d like, said Francis’s granddaughter Ethel Harrison, 69.

“She’s earned something special, but the cake won’t have 115 candles,” Harrison said. “Instead, we’ll make it easy and light three: two number 1s and a 5.”

Francis, who lives in Houston, was the second-oldest person in the U.S. until Feb. 22, when the previous longevity record holder, Edie Ceccarelli, died a few weeks after her 116th birthday in Mendocino County, Calif.

In April, Ben Meyers of LongeviQuest — an organization that tracks the oldest people in the world — presented Francis with a plaque celebrating her milestone as the new oldest American.

“She was just shocked to hear she was now the oldest — she couldn’t believe it,” said Harrison, who handles the family parties and puts in a cake order for Francis every year.

“We all know that we have to punch that (final) ticket someday, so we’re amazed and grateful that she’s still here,” she said. “She’s surprised us all.”

Francis has slowed down in recent months and now speaks in a faint whisper, Harrison said. But she said her grandmother still has a sparkle even though she spends most of her time in bed at the home she shares with her only child, Dorothy Williams, 95.

The pair are looked after by several caregivers, including Harrison.

“My grandmother sleeps much more than she did six months ago, but she still says exactly what she thinks and doesn’t hold back,” she said.

Meyers said he’s seen that firsthand in the times he’s visited her.

Francis’s advice to living a long life at age 115 is the same as it was last year at 114, he said. She told him, “Speak your mind and don’t hold your tongue.”

She is the fourth-oldest person in the world, and the oldest person still living at home, Meyers said, adding that humor, warmth and confidence have carried her through.

“Elizabeth Francis is America’s grandmother, beloved by her family and community and admired worldwide,” he said. “Her story is about faith, fortitude and family more than it is about longevity.”

Born in Louisiana in 1909, Francis was 11 when her mother died, and she and her five siblings were separated and sent to live with relatives, Harrison said.

Francis spent her teen years with an aunt, and later as a single mom, she ran a coffee shop at ABC 13 News in Houston for 20 years.

Her grandmother was known for her tea cakes and chicken and dumplings made from scratch, and she always shared everything she grew in her vegetable garden, Harrison said.

Francis never learned to drive, so she took the bus or walked, which might be one reason she is now deep into her supercentenarian years, she said.

“She’s led a simple life and has always stayed busy with her family,” Harrison said, explaining that Francis’s family regularly stops by, including three grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.

Francis is now content to spend her days at home with her daughter, who is wheeled into Francis’s sunny bedroom every morning.

“They enjoy sitting next to each other to laugh and watch old episodes of ‘Good Times’ and ‘The Jeffersons’ on television,” Harrison said. “They also love watching ‘The Price is Right.’ They both feel lucky and blessed to be together so late in life.”

While Williams is on medication for various ailments, Francis doesn’t take anything except an aspirin now and then, Harrison said.

“I asked her the other night how she feels about turning 115 and she smiled and said, ‘I just thank the good Lord that I’m here,’” she said. “She says she has nothing to complain about, and the rest of our family feels the same way.”

She said she hopes there’s a chance that Francis could make it to age 117 — the same age of the current living oldest person in the world, Maria Branyas of Spain.

“Every year that I have to order another birthday cake for my grandmother is an occasion worth celebrating to know she’s still with us,” Harrison said.