Bessie has seen 21 presidents, two world wars, and the Chicago Cubs win two World Series.
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LAKE CITY, Iowa (KCCI) – Monday was the 115th birthday of a woman from Iowa, making her the oldest person in the United States. Bessie Hendricks has seen 21 presidents, two world wars, a depression, the sinking of the Titanic, and two World Series wins by the Chicago Cubs.
Henricks is the oldest living American and the 10th oldest person in the world, according to the Gerontology Research Group. She spent her special day surrounded by her children, the oldest of whom is Joan Schaffer, who had just turned 90 the day before.
A woman from Iowa turned 115 on Monday. This makes her the oldest person in the United States.
Bessie Hendricks has seen 21 presidents, two world wars, a depression, the Titanic sinking, and the Chicago Cubs win two World Series.
The Gerontology Research Group says that Henricks is the 10th oldest person in the world. He is also the oldest person still living in the United States.
Hendricks spent her special day with her children, including Joan Schaffer, who is the oldest.
Schaffer’s 90th birthday was just one day ago.
Schaffer said, “I don’t know how to put it into words.” “It’s great that she’s still with us.”
All of the kids say the same thing about their mother: that she worked hard and had a lot to do from a young age.
Schaffer said, “Her mother died when she was about 13; I think her mother was about 13 at the time.” “After that, she took care of her siblings. When she taught school, she lived right across the street from where she taught, so there was no reason for her not to go.
Employees at the Shady Oaks Care Center helped celebrate the rare birthday party.
The children of Henricks all sang her favorite song, “You Are My Sunshine,” to her.
Leon Hendricks, her son, said that she loves to sing.
“We used to wheel her around Shady Oaks, and she would still sing “You Are My Sunshine” in every room we stopped in,” he said. “And the people who live there also look forward to it every day.”
This time, Bessie Hendricks got to hear her favorite song live.
Leon Hendricks said, “She always cares about her family.” “She did that all the time. Mom put her family first. Always.”