Iowa's Bessie Hendricks, the oldest person in the US, dies at 115
Hendricks was a mom of five, grandmother of nine, great-grandmother of 28 and great-great grandmother of 42
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Bessie Hendricks, the oldest person in the United States, died on Tuesday, Jan. 3, at the age of 115 at the Shady Oaks Care Center in Lake City, Iowa.
Born Bessie Sharkey on Nov. 7, 1907, in Carroll County, Iowa, Hendricks graduated from high school in 1926, as local outlet WHO13 Des Moines reported.
She married Paul Hendricks in 1930. The two were married for nearly 65 years before his death in 1995.
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Hendricks had five children, nine grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren and 42 great-great-grandchildren, said the outlet.
Before she married and started a family, Hendricks worked as a schoolteacher in a one-room schoolhouse, that outlet noted.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}When Bessie Hendricks was born, Theodore Roosevelt — the 26th president of the United States — was in office. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
During her life, Hendricks lived through two World Wars, the Spanish Flu pandemic and 21 presidents.
Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president, was in office at the time of her birth.
In 2017, on her 110th birthday, Hendricks said she was still an avid crocheter and that her favorite song was "You Are My Sunshine," reported WHO13.
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On her 112th birthday, Hendricks said she believed that hard work, a reluctance to go to the doctor and regularly eating pie and cake were the reasons she had lived so long, as the Fort Dodge Messenger reported.
Hendricks also said her kids' help was another reason for her longevity.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hendricks, who died at age 115, was an avid crocheter, according to a local news outlet. (iStock)
Hendricks was what's known as a "supercentenarian" — someone who lives over the age of 110.
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The world's 10 verified oldest living people are all women, according to the Gerontology Research Group's website.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Five of the top 10 were born in Japan, three were born in the United States, one was born in France and one was born in Brazil.
With Hendricks' death, the oldest person in the United States is now believed to be a 114-year-old California woman named Edie Ceccarelli, who will turn 115 on Feb. 5, according to Fox affiliate KTVU.
The second-oldest verified person in the world, Maria Branyas Morera, was born in California, but moved to Spain as a child, says the Gerontology Research Group's website.
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Branyas Morera, 115, will turn 116 on March 4.
Hendricks' favorite song was reportedly, "You Are My Sunshine." (iStock)
The oldest living person in the world is believed to be Sr. André Randon, a 118-year-old nun living in France, Fox News Digital previously reported.
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Randon, who was born Lucile Randon in 1904, also holds the record of oldest living nun and is the oldest person known to have survived COVID-19.