North Lima woman dies at age 114

5/17/2004

NORTH LIMA, Ohio - Charlotte Benkner, recognized as the world's second-oldest person, has died. She was 114.

Mrs. Benkner died Friday at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Youngstown, John Sheridan of the Fox Funeral Home in the Youngstown suburb of Boardman said yesterday. He did not have a cause of death.

Her nephew's wife, Mary O'Hare, said yesterday that Mrs. Benkner had been in the hospital for 2 1/2 weeks.

"She was having some small problems, and we thought we were going to be bringing her home this week," Mrs. O'Hare said. "She was actually in good health, we thought, but who knows what the Lord wants or doesn't want.

"Friday, she just had some breathing problems, and I guess it just overtook her."

The Guinness Book of Records recognized her as the oldest person in the world in November, but it replaced her with a Puerto Rican woman last month.

Mrs. Benkner had been living at Glenellen Senior Suites and Villas-Lakeside retirement home in North Lima, southeast of Cleveland.