14 DAY TRIAL // A New Orleans native, George Rene Francis, an African-American, was born on June 6th, 1896. During his life, he befriended famous trumpet player Louis Armstrong and worked various jobs over the years, including as a chauffeur, an auto mechanic and a barber. Despite doctors' warnings, the man picked up smoking when he was 70, and lived for another 42 years afterwards. He died Saturday, on the 27th of December, in his nursing home, after he had contracted a severe form of pneumonia.
His life was truly remarkable, considering only the things that he saw, including two world wars, the first man on the Moon, the Cold War, the emancipation of the African-American community, and the election of the first black president in the United States. Francis voted for Obama in the elections and was reportedly very excited about his victory, according to one of his daughters. In his most recent picture, he is shown holding a paper featuring the portrait of Obama, following his winning the elections.
"He lived four years in the 19th century, 100 years in the 20th century, and eight years in the 21st century. We call him the man of three centuries," said his son, Anthony Francis, aged 81, after his father passed away of congestive heart failure in a Sacramento nursing home.
"We took him back there, and he seemed OK. We talked to him about Obama, and he was still excited. People mentioned trying to get him to the inauguration (January 20), but that wasn't going to happen. He just gradually faded away. He wasn't in any pain or anything," said his daughter Larue.
According to Dr. Stephen Coles, the gerontologist that keeps a list of the oldest people in the world, Francis lived a total of 112 years and 204 days.
His wife, Josephine Johnson Francis, died of cancer in 1964, at the age of 63, leaving him with one son and three daughters. Now, following his passing away, he is survived by 18 grandchildren, 33 great-grandchildren and 16 great-great-grandchildren.