Ford was at least 115 years and 245 days old at the time of her death, according to the Gerontology Research Group, which confirmed her as the oldest living American in 2019. However, her family told CNN that she was born on August 15, 1904. , which would make her 116 years old.
Ford was born in Lancaster, South Carolina, the son of Peter and Frances McCardell. She then married John Ford and had 12 children – eight girls and four boys.
“It is overwhelming, yet an awakening experience to realize that my grandmother was not just any ordinary woman, she was EXTRA ordinary,” Patterson-Powe told CNN in an email.
“She never fit in a ‘one size fit all box’ because she was a master inventor and innovator – a pioneer who set her own trends within the community and her home,” she said.
Patterson-Powe described her great-grandmother as steadfast and unmoving in the face of adversity.
“She never complained, never showed defeat, and never held a pity party,” said Patterson-Powe.