Nina Willis was born Nina Frazier in Robinson, near Union Point, Georgia, USA, on 14 January 1909. She was the 13th of 20 children born to John Frazier and Jerridean Gaines.
In 1940, she married Charles Willis. The couple had no children. In 1947, they moved to Atlanta, where she worked did domestic work and worked at a department store.
Her brother, Bethuel Frazier (1902–2011), lived to be 109. In 2023, her caretaker was her sister, Pecola Kirby, who was 97.
Nina Willis passed away in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, on 17 May 2023, at the age of 114.
On 11 December 2019, following the death of 111-year-old Willie Mae Hardy, she became the oldest known living person in the U.S. state of Georgia.
Her age was verified by Stefan Maglov, and validated by LongeviQuest on 11 January 2023.
At the time of her passing, she was the 7th oldest (validated) living person in the world, behind María Branyas Morera, Fusa Tatsumi, Edie Ceccarelli, Tomiko Itooka, Inah Canabarro Lucas, and Hazel Plummer, and was the 3rd oldest living person living in the United States, behind Ceccarelli and Plummer. Following her death, Ushi Makishi became the 7th oldest known living person in the world, while Elizabeth Francis became the 3rd oldest living person in the United States.