The oldest person in the world lives in Camden, Arkansas. Gertrude Weaver, born on July 4, 1898, claimed the title Wednesday after the death of a Japanese woman, according to the Gerontology Research Group. Weaver, 116, is very healthy, vibrant and energetic, according to Kathy Langley, the administrator of Silver Oaks Health and Rehabilitation in Camden.
“I think probably the thing we learn from her is to love everybody. The thing she talks to us about more than anything else is that she’s been blessed because of her kindness,” Langley said.
Weaver was born to African American sharecroppers in southwest Arkansas. She had four children. Langley says Weaver’s son, now in his 90s, visits her every day. Weaver has lived at Silver Oaks since she was 109. Langley says she’s equally as special as all of the nursing home’s 90 residents.