Arkansas Woman Is Oldest American

Gertrude Weaver just turned 116
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 5, 2014 6:22 AM CDT
Arkansas Woman Is Oldest American
Gertrude Weaver poses at Silver Oaks Health and Rehabilitation Center in Camden, Ark.   (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)

Gertrude Weaver celebrated a birthday this week that puts her into rare company. The Arkansas woman turned 116, and the AP rounds up some of the resulting milestones: She is the oldest person in the US, the second-oldest person in the world, and the 11th oldest person of all time. Weaver, who was born in southwest Arkansas in 1898, is two months younger than Misao Okawa of Japan, notes arkansasmatters.com. One of her four children, a 93-year-old son, is still alive, too. Her advice for longevity? "Trusting in the Lord, hard work and loving everybody." (More oldest person stories.)

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