World's oldest woman dies at 115 in Texas

The world's oldest woman died Monday in her Texas home at the age of 115, her caretaker said.

Eunice Sanborn held the title of world's oldest person for less than three months after the death of Eugenie Blanchard, a nun from the French West Indies, on November 4, 2010.

Sanborn has credited her long life and good health to her belief in Jesus Christ and her salvation.

Her "adopted" son David French a longtime friend of Sanborn who first met her when he was five years old -- and his wife Rena provided 24-hour care so Sanborn could remain in her home.

She died at 6:00 am (1200 GMT).

"It was a very peaceful death. She was not uncomfortable," French told AFP.

"The Lord just called her home. He had been using her as a powerful witness for 115 years."

While an organization that tracks and verifies supercentenarians listed Sanborn's age as 114, her family claims the US Census Bureau erroneously recorded her birth year as 1896 rather than 1895.

Sanborn celebrated her 115th birthday on July 20.

Born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, she moved to Texas after the death of her first husband, Joseph Orchin.

Although she never worked outside the home, Sanborn kept busy with community activities her entire life. She was an active member of First Baptist Church of Jacksonville and sang in the choir there for many years.

Besse Cooper of the US state of Georgia -- born August 26, 1896  is now the world's oldest woman, according to the Gerontology Research Group.
Cooper was born Besse Brown in Sullivan County, Tennessee, the third of eight children. She graduated from East Tennessee Normal School and was a teacher in her native Tennessee before moving to Georgia.

She married Luther Cooper in 1924, and was widowed in 1963. She has credited her longevity to minding her own business and not eating junk food.

Cooper lives at the Walton Regional Medical Center nursing home in Monroe, Georgia.

As of her 114th birthday, Cooper has 4 children, 11 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great-grandchild.

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