Hester Ford made a big splash on her 116th birthday when she became the oldest American to be interviewed by a newspaper during the pandemic.
Since the death of Alelia Murphy on 23 November 2019, Hester Ford has been the oldest living American to be reported.
Born on August 15, 1904, in Lancaster, South Carolina, Hester Ford moved to Charlotte in 1953. Hester still lives in the same modest home in the Queen City she first settled in more than 58 years ago and loves spending time with her grandchildren and other family members. As of today, Ford has 12 Children, 48 grandchildren, 108 great-grandchildren, and approximately 120 great-great-grandchildren.
"[Ford is] always willing to help anyone, even the little-kid, the people who need her," Mary Hill, one of Ford's many grandkids, said. To celebrate her grandmother's birthday this weekend, Hill planned a drive-thru celebration with Ford's other grandkid, Clayton Harris. "So we are excited about the cars coming back in and just acknowledging her and letting them know that we love her."
"She said this kind of reminds her of that time back then," Hill said. Ford survived the 1918 Flu pandemic in the past. "She just said she remembers that a lot of people were sick."
Hill also said Ford is always willing to help take care of her sick neighbors during the pandemic.
"That's my grandmother's spirit," Hill said.
It's fitting that her birthday coincides with these times of need for family members who are ill, poor, and struggling from having the opportunity to be together. As of August 2020, Ford now has dementia, but she is still able to remember some of her favorite Bible verses.
"Her church is 5 minutes away, she loves her church," Hill said.
"Just the love, the outpouring of love is so important," Harris said. "Yes, you know, we thank God for that. Just being able to embrace that love."
One hundred sixteen years old, Hester Ford of Charlotte, North Carolina, still lives in the same house and still says her name by the same ritual. She's the oldest living American and the seventh-oldest person in the world whose age has been validated by the Gerontology Research Group.
