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World's Oldest Person Dies at Age 115

Retired Indiana schoolteacher was born in 1893

By John Johnson, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 27, 2008 10:21 PM CST

(Newser) – The world's oldest person died quietly yesterday at an Indiana nursing home, the Shelbyville News reports. Edna Parker, a retired teacher, lived to the age of 115 years and 220 days and had been recognized by Guinness World Records. Her death makes a Portugal woman, Maria de Jesus, the new world's oldest. She was born about 5 months after Parker in 1893.

"She has always been with us," said the wife of Parker's grandson, "and I guess that we somehow thought she would live forever."

Edna Parker plays with her great-great-grandson, Kole Scott Parker, while he is held by his father, Jerad Parker in 2007. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Edna Parker holds a rose she was given during her birthday party in Shelbyville, Ind., in this April 18, 2008 file photo. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

114-year-old Edna Parker responds to a question asked by reporters in Shelbyville, Ind., Thursday, Aug. 16, 2007. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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World's Oldest Person Dies at Age 115

Retired Indiana schoolteacher was born in 1893

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