Known as “Queen Elizabeth of Houston,” Elizabeth Francis died this week at age 115, making her the oldest person in the United States and the third oldest person in the world.
Francis was one of the few people classified as a supercentenarian, a person who lives to be older than 110.
The walls of Francis’ room are lined with plaques, proclamations and framed birthday cards from former President Barack Obama, the Clinton family and more who celebrated her long life each year. Politicians, community members and loved ones frequently visited Francis at her home in Houston, said her granddaughter and primary caregiver, Ethel Harrison.
“She loved it,” Harrison told CNN. “She loved people.”
Before her death, Francis was the 21st oldest American in history, and the 54th oldest person to ever live, according to LongeviQuest, a global database that tracks the world’s oldest individuals. Francis and her sister, Bertha Johnson, made history as the sibling pair with the oldest combined age in the world – Johnson reached 106 before her death in 2011
When asked earlier this year how she felt being the oldest living American, Francis told CNN affiliate KTRK, “I just feel like living every day!”
