Longevity Tips From Ethel: The world’s oldest living person, Ethel Caterham, has revealed her enduring secret to a long life: a stress-free existence. At an astonishing 115 years and 252 days old as of May 2, 2025, Caterham, who resides in Surrey, England, attributes her longevity to keeping peace with others and doing what pleases her. “Never arguing with anyone” and simply “listening and doing what I like,” she once told the BBC in a 2020 interview, are her guiding principles.
Her newly awarded title, recognized by the global age database LongeviQuest—also a partner to Guinness World Records—comes after the passing of Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas, a Brazilian nun who died on April 30, just two months short of her 117th birthday. Sister Inah’s death marked the end of an era, and with it, Ethel Caterham became the only remaining person born in the 1900s.
Ethel’s life spans generations of history and transformation. She was born on August 21, 1909, in Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire, and raised in Tidworth, Wiltshire. The second youngest among eight children, her early years were shaped by a large and lively family. At 18, she ventured to British India, where she spent three years caring for a military family—an adventure that introduced her to life abroad.
Still on Longevity Tips From Ethel
Her path crossed with that of Lt. Col. Norman Caterham in 1931, a senior officer in the Royal Army Pay Corps. The two married in 1933, and their life together took them across the globe. They were stationed in Gibraltar and later in Hong Kong, where Ethel even founded a nursery. Following Norman’s death in 1976, Ethel settled into a long residence in Surrey, where she has lived for over five decades. Her family has since grown to include three granddaughters and five great-grandchildren.
Ethel’s remarkable longevity was officially celebrated when she turned 115 in August 2024. King Charles III marked the occasion with a personal letter, praising her for achieving a “truly remarkable milestone” and extending his “warmest good wishes,” as reported by the BBC.
Meanwhile, the late Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas held the distinction of being the oldest living person until her death at 116 years old. Born in June 1908 in São Francisco de Assis, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, Sister Inah overcame a frail start to life. She began her spiritual journey at age 16 at the Santa Teresa de Jesus boarding school and was baptized in 1926. She later moved to Montevideo, Uruguay, where she was confirmed into the Catholic Church in 1929.
Throughout her long life, Sister Inah accumulated numerous longevity titles: she became the oldest Brazilian ecclesiastical person ever in January 2022, then Brazil’s oldest living person and eventually the oldest validated living person in Latin America. By December 2024, she had claimed the title of the world’s oldest living person following the passing of Japan’s Tomiko Itooka.
Though Ethel Caterham now wears that crown, her calm, unbothered approach to life stands in sharp contrast to the world’s chaos across the century she has witnessed. Her story continues to inspire those who believe in the quiet power of peace, simplicity, and doing things your own way.
Would you like to Earn Money Online with just your mobile device?
If yes then click on the link below:
https://earnbean.ng/
