Ethel Caterham, a 115-year-old woman from England, has become the world’s oldest living person following the death of a Brazilian nun at the age of 116. Her advice for a long life? “I’ve never argued with anyone. I listen — and then do what I want.”
Caterham, who lives in a care home in Camberley, Surrey, inherited the title after Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas died on April 30 in Porto Alegre, Brazil, according to The Independent. Lucas was 116.
“This is an incredible milestone and a true testament to a life well lived,” a spokesperson for the Hallmark Lakeview care home said in a statement to ABC News. “Your strength, spirit, and wisdom are an inspiration to us all.”
Born on Aug. 21, 1909, in Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire, Caterham grew up in Tidworth, Wiltshire, the second youngest of eight siblings. Her life has spanned the reigns of six British monarchs and major global events including the Russian Revolution, the sinking of the Titanic, both world wars and the Great Depression.
In 1927, at age 18, she moved to India to work as a nanny for a British family. She returned to the UK in the early 1930s and met her future husband, Norman Caterham, at a party in 1931. They married two years later at Salisbury Cathedral.
Norman served as a major in the British Army and later became a lieutenant colonel in the Royal Army Pay Corps. His military career took the couple abroad, including to Hong Kong, where Ethel founded a kindergarten and daycare for both British and local children.
After Norman’s death in 1976, Caterham returned to Surrey, where she has lived for nearly 50 years. She raised their two daughters there and drove her own car until nearly age 100.
Now a great-grandmother to five and grandmother to three, Caterham says family is the key to a meaningful life
“Family is the most important thing — the ability to leave memories with your children and grandchildren,” she told The Independent. “Material possessions don’t matter in the end. All you need is someone who cares about you.”
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
Despite her advanced age, Caterham remains in good health and mentally sharp. She enjoys classical music, time in the sun and listening to birds in the garden.
King Charles III sent her a letter congratulating her on “a truly remarkable milestone” and extended his “warmest wishes.”
The verified record for longest human lifespan belongs to Jeanne Calment of France, who lived to 122 years and 164 days before dying in 1997.