Edna Parker, the world’s oldest person, died Wednesday at Heritage House Convalescent Center in Shelbyville, IN. She was 115 years old.
Parker was born in Indiana on April 20, 1893. She worked as a schoolteacher for many years and lived on her family’s farm until she was 100 years old. She had been a resident of Heritage House for the past few years, where she shared a spotlight with fellow resident Sandy Allen who, at 7-feet-7-inches, held the Guinness World Record as the tallest woman until her death in August.
Parker took the title of world’s oldest person upon the death of her predecessor Yone Minagawa of Japan on Aug. 14, 2007. Maria de Jesus of Portugal now assumes the mantle. She was born Sept. 10, 1893, only 143 days after Parker. Next in line is Gertrude Baines of Los Angeles, who was born April 6, 1894. She is the oldest person of African descent in the world and lives in a nursing home near the University of Southern California.
