Happy 114th Birthday, Alelia Murphy Harlem Woman Officially The Oldest Living Person In The US

Jul 09, 2019 by apost team

On July 6th 2019, Alelia Murphy turned 114 years of age. She is now officially the oldest living person in the United States. The supercentenarian celebrated her birthday surrounded by friends and family and even local officials in Harlem, New York.

“This is Harlem history, this is family history we are standing here with a Harlem landmark, a Harlem icon – Mrs. Alelia Murphy,” said State Sen Brian Benjamin. He then went on to announce that the 6th of July would be, from that day onwards, known as the “Alelia Murphy Appreciation Day” in her home of Harlem, as reported in CBS2. The 114-year-old received a framed poster from the senator himself as a gift.

apost.com

Alelia was born in North Carolina in 1905. She moved to New York in 1926 and was, according to the senator, a part of the movement of African Americans to Harlem. She worked as a seamstress and a salesperson. “... [She] Lived in Harlem through it all, through the good and the bad,” he told CBS2.

“She credits it to moderation, living in moderation,” said her granddaughter, Nefer Nekhat. “She says God, He’s the one who let her stay here so long,” said her daughter, Rose Adams.

Alelia’s husband died in the 1950s, which left her with two children to raise on her own. She worked two jobs as a seamstress and a salesperson to make ends meet.“She says no time to sleep, sleep when you’re dead, do what you gotta do while you’re woke,” Adams continued. “She’s still here, she’s still strong, and she holds our family together,”

Do you have and centenarians or supercentenarians in your family? What’s their secret to a long life? Let us know in the comments - and make sure you pass this along to your friends and family!