Hester Ford, the oldest living American and a woman of faith, passed at a fruitful age of 116.
CBN News stated that Hester Ford celebrated her 116th birthday in August where she summed up her life's goal, "I'm living for the Lord."
Ford had lived through "real life experience" of two pandemics and both world wars. She had 12 children, and also lived to see her 68 grandchildren, 125 great-grandchildren, and 120 great-great-grandchildren. She died surrounded by loved ones over the weekend in her home in Charlotte, North Carolina.
"She was a pillar and stalwart to our family and provided much needed love, support and understanding to us all," said Ford's family's official statement on Facebook. "She was the seed that sprouted leaves and branches which is now our family. God saw fit to make her the matriarch of our family and blessed us to be her caretakers and recipients of her legacy."
Official Family Statement for Hester McCardell Ford
Greetings Family, Friends & the Global Community:
It is with...
Posted by Tya Monte Powe on Saturday, April 17, 2021
Sharing her secret to longevity, Ford reportedly said, "Live so that the Lord can use you. Live right."
This was also confirmed by her great-granddaughter Tanisha Patterson-Powe who said that Ford would have credited faith in the Lord as the reason for her long live.
"In times that were troublesome, when there were so many injustices taking place, it was her faith that kept her moving. It's a sad day but it's also a great day in heaven," said Patterson-Powe. "Although we're saddened by it, we take great pride in the legacy that she does leave behind."
CBN noted that Ford's daily routine consists of breakfast, fresh air, family games, and some good old gospel singing.
"She prays at 12 o'clock every day for our family, and she prays the 23rd Psalm, John 14, and the Lord's Prayer," shares Mary Hill, another granddaughter.
A Brief Overview of Ford's Life
According to the Charlotte Post, Ford was born August 15, 1904 in Lancaster, South Carolina. She worked in the cotton fields and as nanny for 20 years. She was longtime member of the Macedonia Baptist Church.
She and her husband moved to Charlotte in the 1950s where they also built their home. After her husband's passing in 1963, she kept their house and continued living on her own until she turned 108.
The report went on to state that as a devout woman of God, Ford would always go out of her way to help a neighbor in need. She does it not for praise, but because it's the right thing to do.
"If her neighbor was sick, she would go and clean their house or make dinner for them or take care of their children. That's the type of woman my grandmother is," said her granddaughter Hill.
Hill also described her grandmother as the "glue that keeps the family together." She said that Ford taught them about determination and faith.
"She's always been an encourager to the family, but especially me," she said.
According to Charisma, the community of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, proclaimed Sept. 1 as "Mother Hester McCardell Ford Day." The proclamation happened during Hester Ford's 115th
birthday celebration.
