British woman Ethel Caterham, now the world’s oldest living person, celebrated her 116th birthday this past Thursday. This notable event comes months after the previous title holder, Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas, passed away.
Caterham spent her birthday quietly with her family, taking the day “at her own pace,” at the care home in Surrey, just south of London, where she presently resides. “Ethel and her family are so grateful for all of the kind messages and interest shown to her as she celebrates her 116th birthday this year,” representatives of Hallmark Care Homes stated.
It is a tradition for the British monarch to extend personal greetings to Britons on their 100th birthdays. For her 115th birthday, Caterham received a letter from King Charles, who praised her “truly remarkable milestone.” As yet, Buckingham Palace has not confirmed if a similar message will be sent this year.
Caterham, born on Aug. 21, 1909, in the village of Shipton Bellinger in southwest England, is now recognized as the oldest living person by the U.S.-based Gerontological Research Group, the LongeviQuest database, and the Guinness World Records. This distinction follows the death of 116-year-old Canabarro earlier this year.
Caterham’s long life has not been without its challenges. She has outlived both her two daughters and her husband Norman, who passed in 1976, and survived a bout of COVID-19 in 2020 at the age of 110, according to the Daily Telegraph newspaper.
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The oldest person ever recorded was a French woman, Jeanne Calment, who lived to the age of 122 years and 164 days, passing away in 1997.
When asked about her secret to longevity, Caterham has previously stated, “Never arguing with anyone! I listen and I do what I like.”
Ethel Caterham, a testament to the human life span, marked her 116th year this past week.
