It's hard to be too sad when someone passes away at age 115, but when you're a record holder for the oldest living person in the United States and seventh-oldest in the world, news of your passing does bring on a bit more sorrow. You almost feel invested in seeing this person keep on truckin'. Still, at 115, it's hard to say Thelma Sutcliffe was cheated.

Thelma Sutcliffe beat cancer... twice

While Thelma Sutcliffe's life became of interest to a more mainstream audience in April 2021 when she was named the oldest living person in the country (114 at that time), she had quite a story prior to just being known for her advanced age.

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The Omaha resident had, according to a Sioux City Journal story, beat a bout with cancer... twice! A lifelong Nebraska resident, Sutcliffe was born in a town called Benson, Nebraska before it simply became a neighborhood in Omaha. When she was only 17, she married Bill Sutcliffe, whose last name she took. He was a postal worker who passed away in the 1970s. She never remarried.

Last year when Sutcliffe turned 114, she was celebrated as the oldest living person in the U.S. At that time, Sutcliffe was 114 years and 209 days. When she passed away, she was 115 years and 108 days. A friend of Sutcliffe's, who lived with her at the Brighton Gardens senior living center, said she died peacefully adding, "it was time".

Who is the oldest person now?

Sutcliffe was born October 1, 1906, in a town called Benson, which eventually became a part of Omaha. She was a lifelong Nebraska resident. With Sutcliffe's passing, María Brañas Morera is now the oldest living person in the United States. Morera, who was born in Spain and now lives in California, is 114 years and 323 days as of this writing.

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