UK's oldest person Grace Jones dies, remembered for 'strong' Christian faith

Grace Jones (c) with Simon Hughes and Sue Wilmer (Photo: Simon Hughes)

The oldest person in the UK, Grace Jones, has died at the age of 113.

Jones was born 7 December 1899 and was the last living British person to have been born in the 1800s.

Her death was confirmed by her MP, Simon Hughes, who visited her the day before along with her neighbour Sue Wilmer.

Jones came into the world when Queen Victoria was still on the throne, lived through two World Wars, and saw the world progress from horses and carts to space travel and the world wide web.

"Although she found her failing strength frustrating, right up until her last week Grace's memory and intellect were undimmed," said Hughes, Liberal Democrat MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark.

He said she had been engaged during World War One but her fiancé had died while on active service. She never married.

Jones worked as a seamstress and for the Government during and after the Second World War until her retirement 50 years ago.

She was the sixth oldest person in the world and until a few weeks ago, was still living in her flat in Bermondsey, south-east London.

She died peacefully, Hughes confirmed, at St Thomas' Hospital, where she was being treated after a fall.

Mr Hughes said: "Grace's friends and neighbours and the wider Bermondsey community are very sad at the news of Grace's death.

"But we pay tribute to Grace for her wonderful long life, for her commitment to her faith, her family and her community, and we know that a woman of such strong Christian faith faced death with no fear."

He paid special thanks to her neighbours, Carol Pooke and Sue Wilmer, who took special care of her.

"All those who met Grace knew they had met one of London's most doughty individuals and she will never be forgotten," he said.

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