America's oldest living person has passed away and Mother Hester McCardell Ford lived right in the Queen City! "Mother Hester" as she is affectionally called, died April 18 with family and close friends surrounding her.
Family members say Ford lived in her same Charlotte home for more than 58 years. She was born in 1904 in Lancaster, SC. Her family recalls she lived through some of the most historic and tumultuous times in our nation. For all you history buffs, get out your history books.
Ford was born when Theodore Roosevelt was accepting his second term as President. She witness and lived through the Flu pandemic in 1918. She saw baseball great Jackie Robinson make his debut to the game in 1947 and witnessed the nation elect it's first African-American President, Barack Obama in 2008.
Her family says she had the type of faith that she believed anything is possible. Because of her commitment to helping others, last year Mecklenburg County celebrated Mother Hester by proclaiming September 1 as "Mother Hester McCardell Ford Day."
Ford had 12 children, 68 grandchildren, 108 great-grandchildren, and approximately 120 great-great-grandchildren. Her family called her the matriarch and truly she was indeed.
