Elizabeth Francis, oldest living person in US, dies at 115

Elizabeth Francis, who was the oldest living person in the United States, has died. She was 115.

Her 69-year-old granddaughter and caregiver, Ethel Harrison, told ABC News on Wednesday that Francis died peacefully on Tuesday night while surrounded by her family.

Speaking to ABC News, Harrison described Francis as "a person who loved people."

"She loved the Lord. Her faith was extremely strong," Harrison said. "She was always, you know, jolly, you know, 'how you doing? You're doing okay?' That was just her personality,"

"And she would always say, treat people like you want to be treated. And that was her motto," she added of her grandmother.

At the time of her death, Francis was the oldest living person in the U.S. and the third-oldest person in the world, according to LongeviQuest, a global database of the world's oldest individuals. She lived most of her life in Houston, Texas, per a press release from the database.

Francis, who was born in 1909 and turned 115 years old earlier this year, is also known as a "supercentenarian," a person who has reached the age of 110 or older.

During an interview with ABC Houston KTRK-TV in 2023 to mark her 114th birthday, Francis said at the time despite her age, she still felt young at heart.

"I'm very, very young. Look at me, I'm like a little young chicken," she said.

She shared that her secret to longevity in life includes no drinking or smoking, but she ate "everything."

Harrison told KTRK that her grandmother always grew her own vegetables and ate at home instead of opting for fast food.

"Whenever you went to her house, I don't care what day of the week she was cooking," Harrison said. "So, I just think that had a lot to do with it, too. Just how she took care of her body and things like that."

Meanwhile, Francis' 96-year-old daughter, Dorothy Williams told KTRK at the time that "it's hard to believe" that her mom had turned 114 before calling it "a blessing."

"Because she has been a wonderful mother and grandmother to all of us," Williams said. "She has been our backbone."