World's oldest woman, 116, eats bacon daily

Michael Balsamo | (Morris County, N.J.) Daily Record

Not many people will say that eating bacon every day is the key to a long life, but the world’s oldest woman swears by it.

Susannah Mushatt Jones, 116, keeps a steady diet of bacon, eggs and grits for breakfast. A sign in her kitchen reads: “Bacon makes everything better.”

Named the world’s oldest woman by Guinness World Records in July, Jones credits her longevity to "lots of sleep," Guinness said. But her family members say she has lived a long life due to her love of family and generosity to others.

Jones was born in a small farm town near Montgomery, Ala., on July 6, 1899. She was one of 11 siblings and attended a special school for young black girls. When she graduated from high school in 1922, Jones worked full time helping family members pick crops. She left after a year to begin working as a nanny, heading north to New Jersey and eventually making her way to New York.

"She adored kids," Jones' niece, Lois Judge, told the Daily Record of her aunt though Jones never had children of her own and was married for only a few years.