Delphine Gibson, who was the oldest living person in the United States, has passed away at the age of 114.
According to CBS News, Gibson passed away on Wednesday, May 9. No specific cause of death has been revealed, but it is speculated that she died of natural causes.
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Gibson had been living at a Huntingdon, Pennsylvania nursing home since she was 100, and attributed her long life to “good food, her faith in God and her church.”
“Frances and I are saddened to hear of the passing of Delphine Gibson, America’s oldest citizen,” tweeted Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf. “Born in 1903, she lived in PA for more than 90 years. She was an incredible Pennsylvanian and she will be missed.”
Drew Wilburne, PA Dept. of Aging Communications Director, also commented on Gibson’s passing, tweeting, “It was an honor to meet and spend time with Delphine. She is a testament to the positive impact aging services have on older Pennsylvanians, and she will be missed!”
Miranda Glover, a unit manager at the nursing home Gibson lived in told reporters that even though she suffered from blindness and deafness near then end of her life, Gibson still loved to sing and hum songs like “Amazing Grace.”
“She has an amazing spirit. She is always singing to us or sharing the gospel. She is a treasure to the nation,” Glover added, also revealing that Gibson did not take any medication other than a daily vitamin.
Gibson became the oldest living U.S. citizen back in February 2017 after the death of Adele Dunlap, who was 114 years old at the time. Kammi Plummer, the admissions director for a facility that Gibson lived in recently, spoke with journalists and recalled the time she told Gibson the news.
“She just kind of acted surprised and said, ‘You don’t say?’” Plummer recounted. “We also told her she was she prettiest. She just said, ‘I know that.’ “
Gibson was born in Ridgeway, South Carolina on Aug. 17, 1903. She worked on a farm belonging to her family until she married Taylor Gibson in 1928. The couple continued to live in South Carolina for a while, eventually moving up to the Mount union area of Huntingdon. The couple had three children before Taylor passed away in 1980.
Gibson’s funeral is scheduled to be held on Saturday at Mount Hope Baptist Church in Mount Union.
At this time, the new oldest living person in the U.S. is believed to be 113-year-old Lessie Brown, of Cleveland Heights, Ohio.
