Biography
Weaver was born in Lafayette County, Arkansas to Charles Gaines (b. May 1861) and Ophelia Jeffreys (b. December 1866), who were African American sharecroppers. She married Gennie Weaver on 18 July 1915 and had four children. She was widowed in 1969.
At the age of 104, she moved to the Silver Oaks Health and Rehabilitation Center in Camden, Arkansas after she broke her hip. With rehabilitation, she recovered from the injury and was able to move back to her home with the help of her granddaughter. At the age of 109, she returned to Silver Oaks Health and Rehabilitation. Her health declined somewhat after her 115th birthday in 2013 but she still left her room for meals and activities at the nursing home. Weaver did not have any chronic health problems typical of people her age; she slept well and did not drink alcohol or smoke.
Weaver told the Associated Press that there were three factors that have contributed to her longevity: “Trusting in the Lord, hard work and loving everybody.” Weaver added a fourth factor when she told Time magazine that trying to do your best is another factor adding: “Just do what you can, and if we can’t, we can’t” or, in other words, “Kindness”.
At the time of her 116th birthday in 2014, her son Joe was still alive at the age of 93 and turned 94 the day after his mother’s death. Joe died on 9 September 2018 at the age of 97.
On 6 April 2015, Weaver died from pneumonia at Silver Oaks Health and Rehabilitation Center at the age of 116 years, 276 days.