Daisey Bailey, believed to the oldest person of African descent in the world, died of organ failure at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit on Sunday, 23 days before her 114th birthday. Born in Watertown, Tenn., Ms. Bailey worked on a plantation, keeping house and chopping wood; in 1943 she decided moved to metro Detroit where she earned money by doing housework and baby-sitting.
According to the Gerontology Research Group, she was the world’s fourth-oldest person and second-oldest American, though her family believes, despite not having documentation, that she was actually a year older.
Ms. Bailey, who later developed Alzheimer’s, enjoyed flower and vegetable gardening, listening to the blues, dancing and cooking.
Her granddaughter says her secret to long life was simple,
“Eat plenty of vegetables and take a little nip,” her granddaughter Helen Arnold, who lived with her on Detroit’s west side since 1989, said Monday.
Ms. Bailey’s drink of choice was old bourbon.
Her relatives called her Mamie, because “she said she couldn’t get no boyfriend if we called her Grandma,” Arnold explained.
Bailey outlived two husbands, Will Reedy and John Bailey, as well as two sons, Robert and S.T. Reedy, and two daughters, Fannie Mai Feay and Frankie Brown.
Mary Josephine Ray, the New Hampshire woman who was certified as the oldest person living in the U.S., died the same day as Ms. Bailey at age 114 years, 294 days. She also was the second-oldest in the world, according to the Gerontology Research Group.
Rest In Peace Ms. Bailey!
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