World's Oldest Person Marks Another Birthday

The world’s oldest person, Jeralynn Talley, will turn 116 on Saturday, but the celebrations started a couple of days ago. (Screenshot via WJBK-TV)

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Jeralean Talley, of Inkster, received a crisp dollar bill for each of her years Thursday – and an advance on the buck the world’s oldest person is officially entitled to when she celebrates her 116th birthday Saturday.

At a pre-party, Talley was honored by Inkster Mayor Hillard Hampton and U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Detroit, who read a statement about Talley that he had entered in the Congressional Record, WJBK-TV reports.

Conyers also read from a letter from President Obama, who called Talley “an important part of the great unending story that is America.”

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Talley, who has lived in three centuries and has witnessed some of the most pivotal moments in America’s history, was named the world’s oldest person in April.

She lives in her longtime home in Inkster with her daughter. Though mobility issues have developed with passing birthdays, she still goes to church and on fishing outings. She bowled until she was 104.

A Michigan resident for 70 years, she was born May 23, 1899, in Georgia. She was married for 52 years.

Talley credits her longevity to hard work and an enduring faith in God. “He knows everything,” she said at the party in her honor Thursday. “Thank Him for that.”

On Saturday, the actual day of Talley’s birthday, she will tour around Inkster in a limousine.