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America’s Oldest Person Celebrates Her 116th Birthday In Charlotte

Hester Ford has 12 children, 48 grandchildren and 200 great-grandchildren.

Hester Ford, reportedly the oldest living person in the U.S., has celebrated her 116th (or, perhaps, 115th) birthday while in quarantine.

Data gathered by the U.S. Census Bureau documents that Hester was born in 1905, but another set of Census Bureau documents reports that she was born in 1904, either way, Ford celebrated her special day in style, according to CBS News.

The Charlotte, NC celebrity and her loved ones honored her in a drive-thru birthday bash on August 13 prior to her official birthday on Saturday (August 15). 

RELATED: Violet Moss, The World's Oldest Woman, Passes Away At 117

Charlotte’s mayor, Vi Lyles, officially declared August 15 ‘Mother Hester Ford Day,’ in honor of her 116th birthday. 

"We just thank God for just keeping her here for us, because it gives us hope," Mary Hil, Ford’s granddaughter, told CBS Charlotte. "We would never want her to be here if she was sick. ... We want her to have a great quality of life in her elder years. We don't want her to be sick or anything, and trying to hold on."

As far as what is Mrs. Ford’s secret to longevity: “I just live right, all I know.”

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