Oldest woman in Texas who never drinks, smokes or eats fast food celebrates her 114th birthday – with her 94-year-old daughter by her side
The oldest woman in Texas, who claims she never smokes, drinks or eats takeout, has celebrated her landmark 114th birthday — and she looks remarkable.
Photos have surfaced of Elizabeth Francis, of Houston, looking radiant as she celebrates alongside five generations of family members, including her 94-year-old daughter.
supercentenarian, who was born in 1909, seemed like a rather tame event as she reclined in a comfortable armchair, supported by pillows and wrapped in a blanket.
A supercentenarian is someone who has reached or passed their 110th birthday – which is an extremely rare occurrence and Elizabeth is only a year younger than the world’s oldest person. The current record holder, according to the Guinness World Records, is Spain’s Maria Branyas Morera, who is 115.
‘I am very, very young. Look at me, I’m like a young chicken’, she says ABC channel KTRK-TV.
Texas’s oldest woman, Elizabeth Francis (pictured center), who is celebrating her 114th birthday, claims she never smokes, drinks or eats takeout. Pictured here alongside her relatives, including her granddaughter Ethel Harrison (pictured to left of Elizabeth)
Born in 1909, the supercentenarian ate “everything” but also grew her own vegetables and cooked every day. Elizabeth is depicted in her hay day
Her granddaughter, Ethel Harrison, pictured beside her for the festivities, testifies to this, as the truth of the gospel attributes her mother’s advanced age to growing and cooking her own vegetables.
Ethel said, “If you went to her house, it doesn’t matter what day of the week, she was cooking.” So I think that had a lot to do with it as well. How she took care of her body and things like that.”
Elizabeth currently enjoys the company of three grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren, as well as her 94-year-old daughter Dorothy Ray Williams, who says Elizabeth has been her “backbone.”
If you’re planning on living just as full, a few centenarians have shared their secrets to living a long, healthy life.
Some people aged 100 and over have said that staying positive and living in the present has kept them young at heart, while others appreciate staying busy with hobbies like painting and writing.
Nearly 100,000 Americans currently alive have seen their 100th birthday, and the number of people reaching the elusive mark each year is on the rise.
The common thread among centenarians is having purpose and community, but also staying positive and keeping the mind sharp.
Elizabeth currently enjoys the company of three grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren, as well as her 94-year-old daughter Dorothy Ray Williams (center), who says Elizabeth has been her “backbone”
California screenwriter Norma Barzman, 102, said this continued passion for various hobbies has helped her continue to expand her community.
She said, “I see that other older people don’t do much and don’t care much about anything, while I like to see new things.
“I’ve met people my age who are interested in things and who work, write, paint, and they have a much happier life. Keep doing things!’
One-hundred-and-one-year-old fashion icon Iris Apfel credits her passion for her work as a designer and model with keeping her vibrant and healthy.