Edie Ceccarelli, who was the oldest person in the US and the second oldest person on Earth, died on Thursday.
Ceccarelli died a little over two weeks after her home town – the small, redwood-crested northern California town of Willits – threw her a huge birthday bash, as is their yearly tradition.
Ceccarelli’s birthday had become a bit of a holiday in Willits, attended by everyone from the mayor and the fire department, to the local dog walker and his many four-legged charges. Well into her 100s, Ceccarelli would throw herself birthday parties, inviting the whole town to celebrate and dance with her. In recent years, as she slowed down, the town took over – organizing a yearly parade.
“I’m just so happy we could celebrate with her,” said Suzanne Picetti-Johnson, a longtime Willits resident who coordinated the events. “And then her time here was done.”