Remembering the Oldest Person in the World

By Alicia Dorr in News on Jun 29, 2006 4:00PM

We’re of the opinion that the older people get, the more they rule. That’s why we were particularly sad to hear that a few days ago, while we were all eating pizza rolls and yacking about Stroger, what may have been the world’s oldest person quietly passed away in this very city.

Roberta Weston claimed to be 118 years old. 118! The reason it is “claimed” instead of a listing in the Guinness Book of World Records, though, is because there is no birth certificate to prove the declaration. As far as we’re concerned though, the claim is gold. Her family maintained she was born in 1887, the daughter of sharecroppers in Mississippi. In fact, her parents, the family says, were likely slaves before becoming sharecroppers. It seems like she had an interesting life, as well, stopping off in places like St. Louis and Memphis.

We especially like this story because her family says the lady was as sharp as a tack, and funny to boot. That’s what we’re talking about; not only do you have the memory of some of the most amazing events in history, but you can make people laugh too – and not because you didn’t know what you were eating, or something. For the real record, the oldest person in the world is 116 and lives in Ecuador. Well, F that – our lady was two more than that and lived on the south side of Chicago. So there.

Photo via grg.org.