Supercentenarian news

Back in January I wrote about Emma Faust Tillman (shown at left with her great-granddaughter Carol Stewart), who had just become the oldest verified woman in the world.

Unfortunately, that was when I was having computer problems, so I wasn't reading the on-line news, and I don't always get a chance to look at the paper. So it wasn't until this morning that I found out the rest of the story....

As noted in my previous post, Tillman - who was born 22 Nov 1892 - became the world's oldest woman on the death of Julie Winnifred Bertrand (16 Sep 1891-18 Jan 2007). Six days later, on 24 January, she became the world's oldest living person. From the Stamford (CT) Advocate:

Emma Faust Tillman, who marked her 114th birthday last fall by crediting God for her longevity, has become the world's oldest known person.

Tillman, born in 1892 to former slaves in North Carolina, earned the distinction Wednesday after the death of 115-year-old Emiliano Mercado del Toro at his home on the northern coast of Puerto Rico.

-------

Mercado del Toro, whom Tillman replaces as the world's oldest person, died at his home in the town of Isabela, about 70 miles west of San Juan, of natural causes, his grandniece, Dolores Martinez told The Associated Press.

"He died like a little angel," Martinez said.

Mercado del Toro had been having difficulty breathing recently but was conscious and alert shortly before his death, Martinez said outside the family home.

At his death, he was with a great-grandnephew and a caretaker, she said.

Mercado del Toro became the oldest known person in the world last month when 116-year-old Elizabeth "Lizzie" Bolden died in December in a nursing home in Tennessee.

Four days later, Tillman set another record: Shortest time as the world's oldest person. From the CBC:

Emma Faust Tillman, who became the world's oldest-known living person last week, died at an East Hartford nursing home. She was 114.

Tillman, the daughter of former slaves, died Sunday night, said Karen Chadderton, administrator of Riverside Health and Rehabilitation Center.

"She went peacefully," Chadderton said Monday. "She was a wonderful woman."

The world's oldest person is now Yone Minagawa (born 4 Jan 1893) of Japan. As of 22 March, the oldest living man - and 34th-oldest person - is Tomoji Tanabe (born 18 Sep 1895), also of Japan. Here in the US, the oldest living woman is currently Edna Parker (born 20 Apr 1893 in Indiana), and the oldest living man is Walter Breuning* (born 21 Sep 1896 in Montana), respectively the 2nd- and 72nd-oldest people in the world.

For a list of living supercentenarians (persons who have survived their 110th birthdays), see here.

* Pierro, mentioned in the Breuning article, died 7 January 2007 in Swampscott MA.