Expired Gertrude Baines, the Oldest Person of the World

Expired Gertrude Baines, the Oldest Person of the World

brotee mukhopadhyay

How she has maintained good health even after a century on the earth and how she has succeeded in remaining alive attaining at such unthinkable old age --- were some of the questions which she had to face. She was not happy with such questions and she was rather disturbed. She used to believe in God whom she could easily accept as instrumental to her long life.

She was Gertrude Baines who died at the age of 115 years. She died at Western Convalescent Hospital and she was in sleep at the time of death. Yes, she was the oldest person of the world. Yes, Gerontology Research Group which decides age of very old persons awarded her title of oldest living person in the world.

Baines was adolescent during the World War I and during the World War II she was 46 years old. When her age was over 60 and more, black people of the USA, under the leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King, caused tremor in the political arena demanding equal rights and human rights and democratic rights.

A greater part of her life was spent in Ohio where she worked as a maid at Ohio State University. Then she shifted to California and lived at Los Angeles. She witnessed the days when blacks in the USA had no right to take part in the election process either as a voter or as a candidate. She witnessed the days when blacks in the USA were subjected to inhuman persecution.

Baines married at her youth and she had a daughter. But she became a divorcee. Her daughter died at 18. She witnessed death of all her relatives. But she had good health and she had an attendant to look after her.

People had greater fascination for her. She was interviewed by the media number of times. She became headlines of the newspapers. She sometimes enjoyed this. Her last birthday was celebrated at the hospital on 6th April last. Greeting Cards and balloons and flowers and even good wishes from President Obama and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger were showered on her. She cast her vote in favor of Barback Obama.

At Inglewood Park Cemetery she will be buried.

It is said that her father was a slave.