Lin Shemu, the oldest woman in the world, has died aged 122 after passing away peacefully in her sleep at her home having lived all her life in the Chinese province of Fujian
The oldest woman in the world has died and she was 10 when the Titanic sank.
Lin Shemu, from China, passed away peacefully in her sleep at home and with her birth date 18 June, 1902, on official documents it means she lived for 122 years and 197 days in total.
She was born during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty in her home country while Theodore Roosevelt was the US President and Lord Salisbury was the British Prime Minister, and she was alive at the time of the Titanic sinking in 1912 when she was 10.
Lin lived her whole life in the Chinese province of Fujian, situated between Shanghai and Hong Kong in China. She had three sons and four daughters with her late husband. Her youngest son is 77-years-old today.
Apart from losing her eyesight due to old age and injuring both legs in a fall, Lin suffered from no other illnesses and was able to take care of herself her whole life.
She always maintained a sharp sense of hearing and a good appetite, according to her relatives. Her youngest son said she was always content and good humoured and he stated that she would quickly find a spring in her step if she was ever feeling down.
He also told how he never saw her argue with anyone and she would often tell her children: “There is no obstacle in life that cannot be overcome.” When she was asked about the secret of her longevity in the past, Lin answered: “Being able to eat, drink and sleep. They are a blessing.”
Lin’s family never applied to Guinness World Records to have her age verified. She replaced Japan’s Tomiko Itooka, who was recognised as the world’s oldest living person. And now the new oldest woman live is believed to be Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas at 116 years.
Itooka passed away in a nursing home in Ashiya, Japan, on 29 December, as reported by What’s The Jam. Jeanne Calment, who lived from 1875 to 1997, is recognised officially as the oldest person to have ever lived. She passed away aged 122 years and 164 days. She is the only person in history who has been verified to have reached the age of 120 but if Lin’s documents are correct, she would have outlived Calment by 33 days.