Edith Ceccarelli of Willits, California, is celebrating her 116th birthday on Monday, February 5. She was born to Italian immigrants in 1908 in the same town she lives in today.
To put that in perspective, that was the same year that outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were killed. Needless to say, Ceccarelli has seen a lot in her 116 years of life.
This year, she'll celebrate her birthday on February 4, with a drive-by parade, which has become a major community event in the small town where she was born and raised.
Ceccarelli's friend, Evelyn Perisco, said of this year's celebration,
I think it's going to be very well attended. Hard to put a number on it, but last year it went for a couple of hours.
Ceccarelli is currently the oldest person in America, the oldest person ever to live in California, and the second oldest person in the world, behind Maria Branyas of Spain.
Perisco went on to say of her supercentenarian friend,
She would ask ‘Why am I still here? I don't understand it,' and I said, ‘Edie, God has a plan for you. My conclusion? I just feel she's God's chosen one.
If you happen to live nearby Willits, California, make sure to attend the parade this weekend on my behalf and wish Mrs. Ceccarelli a very happy birthday!
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