Gertrude Weaver, Now The World’s Oldest Person, Shares Her Secrets To Living Long

In Camden, Arkansas, at Silver Oaks Health and Rehabilitation Center, 116-year-old Gertrude Weaver just became the oldest person in the world.

On Wednesday, Misao Okawa, a 117-year-old who lived in Japan, passed — and according to the Guinness Book of World records, that made Weaver (who was born in 1898) the “new” oldest.
“It’s an absolute honor to have her and her family here,” says Kathy Langley, director of the center Weaver resides in. “Seven generations of Gertrude’s family are living today.”

Weaver is a “supercentenarian” — someone over 110 years old, and is one of just four people alive today born before 1900. And while common knowledge may tell us that diet and exercise are the keys to a longer life, Weaver credits her age to other factors.


The keys to Gertrude’s longevity: “I loved God. I worked hard, and I loved everybody and everything around me.”