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Jessica Mcgowan / Guinness World Records
Besse Cooper celebrates her 116th birthday in Monroe, Ga., on August 26.
A 116-year-old woman listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living person died on Tuesday in a nursing home in Georgia.
Besse Cooper died peacefully at the Park Place nursing home in Monroe, Georgia, according to her son Sidney Cooper.
"She looked real good when she passed away," the 77-year-old Cooper told Reuters, saying his mother died quietly and without suffering.
"She got up this morning, had a big old breakfast and got her hair fixed," he said. "It's just like she got up planning to do it."
He said his mother, who taught school until her first child was born in 1929, had four children. All of them survived her and are still in good health, he said.
"She lived in three centuries. Don't many people do that," said Cooper. He added that his mother died after a brief bout of breathing trouble that put her back in bed after lunch.
'I don't eat junk food'
When asked for her secret to a long life, Cooper told the Guinness website earlier this year: "I mind my own business. And I don't eat junk food."
Sidney Cooper said his mother was a strong, determined woman who, like the school teacher she was, could be a disciplinarian.
She was fair and honest, he said, but "when she said something needed to be done, you'd better do it."
Besse Cooper was born in Sullivan County, Tennessee, on August 26, 1896. She began to go to school at age 5 — yes, she walked from a log cabin — to make sure one of her brothers attended. She grew to love going to class and eventually went to East Tennessee Normal School (now East Tennessee State University) in Johnson City to study education.
When she graduated, she got a job earning $35 a month. When she heard from a friend she could make more in Georgia, she got a job in Monroe making twice as much.
She married Luther Cooper in 1924, and he died in 1963. She never remarried.
Sidney Cooper said his mother always said her best years were when she was in her 80s.
World's oldest woman celebrates her sweet 116th birthday
He said he would always remember her with her straw hat on, working in the flower garden, scratching weeds away with her hoe. She always had fresh-cut flowers in her home, and in her later years, her family would bring some to her room.
She also loved to watch the news on television, her son said.
"She was very intelligent," Sidney Cooper said. "She loved to read."
Her eyesight had deteriorated, though, and she no longer read the Bible or any of the great works of fiction.
Aside from a few heart issues, she was in "amazing" health, her son said, adding that she never complained of pain even in her final days.
As for her voting record, Besse Cooper didn't vote this year. Neither she nor her husband voted in 1948. They thought Thomas Dewey was a shoo-in.
Besse Cooper was certified as the world's oldest person by Guinness World Records in January 2011.
Besse Cooper of Monroe, Ga., is now believed to be the oldest living person at 114 years old. Msnbc.com's Al Stirrett reports.
The title was stripped from her for a few months when it was discovered that Brazilian-born Maria Gomes Valentim, a fellow super centenarian, was 48 days older. Guinness gave the title back to Cooper after Gomes Valentim died in June 2011.
Besse Cooper is survived by four children, 11 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
Her husband died the year I was born, and I'm nearly 50. Wow. What a life. Peace.
We should all be so lucky! When people like Besse Cooper die, a library burns down. However, I sometimes wonder how we can do it too----given the inflationary spiral. I will never have enough money to live that long.
She
was eighty in the eighties, I must agree eighties were good; greed and arrogant
entitlement were not as prevalent.
Well, that eliminates almost all other Americans.
She was already 17 years old when World War 1 Started! She can truly say, she saw it all...
I thought about that very thing too. Except he died the year after I was born.
As for her - 116 years, 4 children, 11 grand children, 13 great grand children and 2 great great grand children. It was a hell of a run.
Well said!
"Well, that eliminates almost all other Americans."
-Which is why most Americans will be lucky to be half her age with their wits still about them and without having to pop 10 pills just to get around in 20 years. I won't spend my retirement in this country come hell or high water, a little shanty by the sea and a vegetable/fruit garden in Belize, Guatemala or the Dominican Republic seems just about right...
Happy birthday Bill..........
Thanks, Tramp. So far so good ;)
GA Denver Bill
Happy Birthday!
JOMO-549619
I' am with you on THAT one!! Small and simple, that's my way to finish out life. (no one need agree or disagree...just my thought)
... y lo que es un jardín hermoso será!
Good Afternoon Bill, Happy Birthday.
Hey scooter and barbados jack
Annie, can't agree more
Thanks jack, Tracy.
being call the world's oldest person seems like a death sentence to me.
shortly after getting the title they need to give it to someone else.
go figure!
Wow, all the world changes she saw...RIP!
A life lived so very well...sympathy and blessings to the family, another star will be shining in the sky tonight..Sleep well Mrs Cooper....
"'Don't many people do that,' said Cooper."
I'm guessing she didn't teach English.
TampaBayRays ---There's nothing wrong with that sentence. She's missing her question mark that's all. I'm guessing you didn't take English.
No, that is NOT a question. It is a statement with an explanation mark at the end. That is a common euphemism in southern speech. Before we go after people for what we think is wrong, perhaps a little bit of "looking into" might be in order?
roninxian---I know, you're completely right. I was being sardonic and did not pull it off at all. I know about Southern speech; it drives me wild.
Tampa Bay, you are a douche. And a person who does not speak grammatically correct for a moment is no big deal. Living for 116 years is. I am from New York, and sometimes I say things that are not correct. That does not change the fact that I attended college and passed the same grammer courses as everyone else.
Learn how to spell "grammar" college graduate. Maybe you should return to second grade.
That comment was made by the son, not her.
Knowing how NBC writes articles on this site, it's likely the writer's error going unnoticed by the network--and not the readers.
What nit-picking trolls some of you are!! She lived 116 years. She can say any darn thing she wants!! (Though it WAS her son who said "Don't many people do that".)
All of the comments were cool up until Tina commented... what a buzz kill
It's a shame. Tampabay has issues.
@TampaBay - You are a prime example of the no class youth of today, Gutless to boot since you can dribble such trash on the internet, go play your video games
It sounds to me like Mrs. Cooper had more than a full life during her time on Earth. I hope someone in the family took the time to write down a bit of her history. What a great historical novel that could be.
shona1 is right, a new star tonight, and I might add, a VERY bright one.
Mind your own business and no junk food...lol
Looks like she didn't do much the last thity years of life. but then when your 80 lots of people can't. spending thirty years watching t.v. isn't worth living later for. Hopefully the family took her out to do things otherwise she wasted her old age watching crap probably like soaps and springer.
She probably kept her mind sharp and her head level by watching Fox News
Sounds like you are putting a negative spin on the story by implying she lived too long and did nothing the past 30 years. Go back and read the article: she read books and worked in her garden among other activities I'm sure.
If she had dedicated her retired life to watching Fox news, she would've gone years ago, after running around with a foil hat on and yelling "BARRICADE THE DOORS, THE COMMIES, JEWS AND DARKIES ARE COMING TO GET US!!!"
Wow it's amazing what she got to witness, the invention of almost everything that we have today, Cars, Planes, Raido, TV, ALL OF IT. She was here for World war 1 & 2, the Halocaust, the sinking of the Titanic, the great depression, the roaring 20's, Pearl Harbor, the rocking 50's, the rise of Elvis, the landing of the Beatles, little cities turning into huge concrete jungles, the wasted 60's, the great 70's, the hair band 80's, the rapping 90's and to what we have now which is something not worth bragging about, 911, Sadam, Bin Laden, killer kids, computers, cell phones, video games. She was living history, everything that we know going back to 1900 she was there.
Rest in peace Besse.
Don't forget the moon landing and killing Kennedy (s)
RIP Mrs. Cooper
Besse Cooper taught until the end, because the world would be a much nicer and healthier place if everyone minded their own business....and stopped eating junk food. RIP Mrs. Cooper!
By my estimates she lived about 1,018,560 hours, 61,113,600 minutes, 3,666,816,000 seconds, 6,047 weeks, 42,440 days... ok I'm probably off somewhat but close enough. My point is, those aren't really large numbers- life is short.
Excellent point. I was looking at those numbers thinking I'm running out of time fast.
Rest In Peace Mrs. Besse Cooper, you deserve it. GOD Bless!!! She's resting in heaven and in the arms of GOD......sweet dreams!!
This sweet lady was a blessing to a lot of folks. Its what we call good stock, Bless her & her family.
What an incredible life -- think of everything she saw during 116 years! Rest easy, Mrs. Cooper. You earned it. <3
There's a time and a place NBC writers. This is neither no matter if I think the point is valid. This is just a distasteful, egotistical attempt at a jab.
Of course, they're one and the same. :)
You've must have never read the Bible then. :)
I have. It's really not all that great.
It's really not that great.
Wow - what a journey through time! It would have been fascinating to talk with her about her lifetime of experiences. Two great-great-grandchildren!!! Very cool.
Wow. God Bless lady. RIP!
I can't believe she is (was) the oldest in the entire world. There are so many cultures, and places on Earth that have unregistered births. I have a Albanian relative, who is 83 and she goes to work everyday. She looks and acts like she is 63, at the very oldest. Her father, lived to be 96, and walked to the coffee shop every morning to get his daily newspaper. He said, his mother was 106 when she died back in the Albania. So, I'm just saying, maybe there IS someone older than 116 that we just don't know of. There certainly can't be many folks alive that were born in the 1800s, thats for sure. She was born in 1896.. amazing!
Yes, it's possible that she is was just the oldest documented person. But that's the whole point of world records, they have to be proved. Some cultures still don't record births or keep track of birthdays. Nevertheless, at 116 she deserved her 15 minutes of fame. GOD bless her.
To see her picture and the fact she died made me confront my own mortality. Yeap, we all die !
WOW!!~The worlds OLDEST woman dies...the worlds TALLEST woman dies!!! What next? The worlds ???est woman dies...what will we do? Oh, what WILL we do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GASP! Someone who is 116 years old died? So unexpected. They don't list the cause of death so obviously I suspect foul play. :-p
116 years old...Yep. It happens to the best of us. She looked pretty pleased in that photo of her with that birthday cake though.
How many years in a nursing home?...yick.
Man. I hope I make it to 100. I really can't wait to see where we all go next. Thanks for staying with us this long Miss Cooper.
She reminds me why we should listen to our Elders. 116 years of life experiance.
"Her eyesight had deteriorated, though, and she no longer read the Bible or any of the great works of fiction."
I think there is a typo here. They meant to say:
"Her eyesight had deteriorated, though, and she no longer read the Bible or any of the other great works of fiction."
Haha... I'm sure I'll hear it about that, but just couldn't resist.
But good for her...That is a lot of living and an amazing number of experiences.
It is fiction
More than fiction...a complete fairy tale.