Ettie Mae Greene; Oldest American at 114

Ettie Mae Greene, identified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest person in the United States, has died at age 114.

Greene, who ascribed her longevity to a daily milkshake, a vitamin and “good, clean living,” died Wednesday at the Springfield Comprehensive Care Center, her granddaughter, Rita Dillon Barker, said Thursday.

Greene had come down with a cold on Monday, Barker said.

“We’ve been blessed,” Barker said. “We’ve had her longer than anybody in the United States.”

The Guinness Book of World Records listed her in September as the world’s third-oldest person behind Jeanne Louise Calment of Arles, France, and Charlotte Hughes of Marske by the Sea, England, who were both 117.

Greene, a former farmer and seamstress, outlived five of her nine children and was a widow for 72 years. She had 21 grandchildren, 47 great-grandchildren and 37 great-great-grandchildren.

She was born Sept. 8, 1877, in Wayside, W. Va.