A Detroit-area woman, Jeralean Talley turned 116 yesterday and will celebrate her birthday twice, including a party today at her church, New Jerusalem Missionary Baptist.
Gerontology Research Group considers her to be the oldest person in the world, based on available records, followed by Susannah Jones of Brooklyn, New York, who turns 116 in July.
Talley expressed gratitude to God but could not offer any secret for her long life, but added:”there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Talley bowled until she was 104 and still likes to catch fish. A daughter, Thelma Holloway, narrated how her mother still has a sharp mind.
Talley was born in Montrose, Georgia, in 1899 and moved to Michigan in the 1930s. her husband died in 1988 at the age of 95.
One of her godson, Tyler Kinloch, 21, who fishes with her said: “Her Number one rule is to treat people how you want to be treated, I definitely carry that with me every single day.”
Talley received $116 dollar every year from a local office of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. [myad]
