Naomi Whitehead, a resident of Greenville, Pennsylvania, and America’s oldest living person, is celebrating her 115th birthday today, as confirmed by her family. At the moment, she is the third-oldest living person in the world.
Whitehead was born Naomi Washington on a farm in Georgia, on 26 September 1910. She began helping her family at an early age by picking cotton and tobacco. The farm also had horses, and even at the age of 113, she remembered being afraid of getting kicked by them. In 1930, she married Sylvester Whitehead. The couple had 3 sons: Parrish L. (1933-2011), Elbert and Sylvester. She was widowed in the 1980s.
In 2011, when her last surviving son died, she resided in Sharon, Pennsylvania. She credited her longevity to her family history – her father lived to his 90s, and she never smoked or drank alcohol. She also credited her long life to God. In her free time, she enjoyed cooking, baking, drawing, and listening to music.
On 22 October 2024, following the death of 115 years-old Elizabeth Francis, she became the oldest known living person in the United States, at the age of 114 years, 26 days.
At the moment, she is the world’s third-oldest living person, only after Ethel Caterham (UK) and Marie-Rose Tessier (France).
LongeviQuest extends warm congratulations to Naomi Whitehead on her 115th birthday.
