The oldest person in the U.S. has died at 115, according to a family member.
Robert Sorenson said his aunt Thelma Sutcliffe “passed away peacefully in Omaha at an assisted living facility,” CNN reported.
“I am the last closest relative that she has. She was very important to me. She was good to me and my siblings all throughout the years,” Sorenson added.
According to the Gerontology Research Group, Sutcliffe was named the oldest living American when the previous record holder, Hester Ford, died at 115 in April of last year.
She had been living at an assisted living facility in Omaha, Neb., and was the seventh oldest person in the world.
Luella Mason, a longtime friend, had told CNN then that Sutcliffe had lost most of her eyesight and some of her hearing but was otherwise “still very sharp.”
Mason said that Sutcliffe had credited her long life to the fact that she never had children, never smoked, and believed strongly in never worrying about anything.
Mason also told CNN that Sutcliffe never worried about things out of her control, saying Sutcliffe believed it was key to her longevity.
“I don’t believe in worrying at all,” Sutcliffe reported;y said. “What good does it do? That’s how you live to be my age.”
