Patterson native Naomi Whitehead has recently been certified as the oldest living person in the United States.
Whitehead was born Naomi Washington September 26, 1910, in Patterson and she had 12 siblings, all of whom are now deceased.
She grew up farming with her family.
She married Sylvester Whitehead in 1930, and raised three sons, who are all now deceased. Mr. Whitehead died in the 1980s.
Mrs. Whitehead is now 114 and the oldest living American as of last week. She now lives in Greenville, Pennsylvania.
She credits her long life to good genes and a clean lifestyle, avoiding smoking and drinking. A hardworking, faith-filled woman, she enjoys cooking, drawing, and storytelling. She is currently confined to a wheelchair, but her memory is very sharp.
She has 12 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren, 49 great-great-grandchildren and three great-great-greatgrandchildren.
Whitehead’s designation as the oldest living Americian was made by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG). The GRG is the primary organization that validates and determines the oldest living person in the United States and the world, based on thorough age verification and record keeping.
GRG is a global non-profit dedicated to validating, recording, and researching supercentenarians — those aged 110 or older. Founded in 1990, GRG focuses on human longevity, healthy aging and studying the lives of the world’s oldest people.
