Congrats to Lindsay Lohan, who has made the brave decision to ring in her 115th year as a single woman!
No, no. I’m kidding, of course. Implying that Lindsay Lohan just turned 115 is ridiculous. Everyone knows her birthday is in July.
The real subject of this article is 115-year-old Gertrude Baines, born April 6, 1894, in Shellman, Georgia. Gertrude celebrated 115 years on this planet at her convalescent home in Los Angeles.
During the course of her long life, Baines was married to Sam Conly, with whom, in 1909, she had a daughter, Annabelle – who as a child died of typhoid fever. One of Gertrude’s earliest memories is of taking a horse and buggy to church with her mother, Amelia, and her father, Jordan Baines, who had been a judge. Before moving west, she lived in Connecticut and Ohio, where she was employed as a cafeteria worker. Until 10 years ago she lived by herself in California, before moving into the convalescent home …
Not one to make a big deal of her stature, Baines enjoys life’s simple pleasures, such as extra crispy bacon and sweets, as well as daily viewings of The Price Is Right and Jerry Springer.
Last fall, she cast her vote for Barack Obama in the general election. The only other time she voted was back in 1960, for President John F. Kennedy …
Pressed for her secret to longevity, Baines begs off the question. “She prefers not to have the title [of world’s oldest],” says her nurse, Cynthia Thompson, who has looked after her for nine years and quotes Baines as saying, “Of all the people in the world, why do I have to be the one? I didn’t ask for this.”
Because I have nothing better to do, I’m now busy pondering whether or not I would actually want to live to be 115 years old. That’s a long-ass time to be stuck in this here life. Especially if you’re old and confined to a bed and you don’t really have any family around anymore. And you spend your days watching Drew Carey on The Price is Right. All the old people with any sense left died as soon as Bob Barker left that show.
What say you, readers? Would you want to live to see 115?
‘Baines enjoys life’s simple pleasures, such as extra crispy bacon and sweets’
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you tell ’em, grandma! that’s how you do it.
*john travolta as vince in pulp fiction*
“bacon’s gooooooooood”
lol
now, i’ve got a damn blt jones.
thanks alot beet.
Is it racist to say she reminds me of Aunt Jemima? She sounds like the awesome kind of old lady it would be fun to sit and listen to.
well, jer…after reevaluating the picture i’d have to say you dodged the race bullet…for now.
lol!
i get the resemblance with that rag on her head.
like aunt jemima channeling zsa zsa gabor!
i mean, wtf is up with the feather boa!
lol!!!
I doubt she is 115. A century ago she wouldn’t have been issued with a birth certificate and has probably had to guess.
They kept courthouse records before birth certificates, and if not its likely her parents’ church had some sort of record of the occasion. I’m sure it would have come out by now if she was not, in fact, 115.
This is old, but I want to educate people. Jeremy’s comments are quite correct. In fact, Catholic churches have kept baptismal certificates for centuries. However, if no birth certificate exists, original documents from when the person was less than 20 years old can be used as proof.
Gertrude is recorded as a six-year old in the 1900 census.
http://www.famouscensus.com/labels/1900.html
Plus, a birth certificate (or other early document) is not proof alone. There must be proof that the person alive today is the same as that person the document recorded. For that, school records, marriage records, military records, later census records, etc. are used.
The Gerontology Reserach Group has proven beyond doubt that the Gertrude Baines who died on 9/11/09 is the same one as recorded as a six-year old in the 1900 census.
I’m not sure I’d want to live to that age… it would be awful to watch my friends and family die before me and to be confined to bed for such a long time. On the other hand, it fucking rocks that she was alive in 1894 and also got to live to vote for Obama. That’s just so cool.
Honestly if Jerry Springer and The Price Is Right is what I deem entertainment at 115, I wish for the grim reaper to be my Canasta partner. Seriously, it would have to suck on several levels, the endless boredom – unless she’s on the web, and everyone she knew died decades ago. It would be sad really. Also exhausting.
Of course I wouldn’t want to live to be 115! Frankly, I’m fairly certain I would commit suicide if my body wouldn’t give in on its own. Does anyone really WANT to be 115? I mean, sure, if it meant living a century and not actually aging, tons of people would be jumping at the chance. (Not that that seems a particularly pleasant thing to do, either.) But this woman lives in a home. Her type of pleasure is high fat food and bad television. No one wants to live like that, right?
Yes! I want to live until 115. Since I was born in January 85, that means I would see 2100! Even from a nursing home, that would be sweet. Wish me luck.
Good luck! I hope to make it that long too!
My Dad will be 99 years young in May . I truly think thats a Blessing. Some of the stories he tells are amazing.
is that a recent picture?!?!? if so, WOW. looks great for 115!!!
If I was sound of mind and body-sure!! What’s wrong with kicking back watching T.V., having your meals prepared,your room cleaned, your back rubbed? And she looks and sounds AMAZING! Good for her.
OMG! That is so epic! I can’t even imagine all the things shes seen. I would LOVE to live that long, even longer if possible.
The world’s oldest woman is 130..
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1164503/Is-woman-really-old-LIGHT-BULB-Oldest-person-world-set-celebrate-130th-birthday.html
see, I don’t about that one Amanda..
In that picture they have of her passport from 1979 she would have to be hundred. and she really doesn’t look it to me.
That census listing was outside the 20-year rule I mentioned. Plus, there does not appear to be incontrovertible proof that the woman alive today is the same Sakhan Dosova one was recorded in the 1926 census.
I think that it is a very interesting and amusing article. Practically all its main points are true.
God Bless Ms. Gertrude, I believe she looks so great because she did not drink or smoke. Eating crispy beacon I wonder if she have high blood pressure? Surely it’s the Lord Jesus who is keeping and blessing Mr. Gertrude with longevity and a sound mind. She will probably make it to 120 year old.
God bless your soul Gertrude Baines. I hope you live to see 120 keep the good work up. My Grandmother is 106 years old thank God she still can walk and talk to be her age. she told me that her mother and father where slaves and when she was a young child woman could not voted. Neither color folks but thank God i lived to see a black president she said . It is a blessing to lived to be the oldest person
in the world.
Lord bless your soul Gertrude Baines. I hope you live to see 120 keep the good work up. My Grandmother is 106 years old thank God she still can walk and talk to be her age. she told me that her mother and father where slaves and when she was a young child woman could not voted. Neither color folks but thank God i lived to see a black president she said . It is a blessing to lived to be the oldest person
in the world.