RIP, Mary Josephine Ray

Today we bid farewell to Mary Josephine Ray, a woman nobody here at ProMed knew - but that shouldn't stop us all from being inspired by her zest for life.

Ray was the U.S.'s oldest living person. She passed away on Sunday at a Westmoreland, NH nursing home at the age of 114 years and 294 days. She was also the oldest person to ever live in New Hampshire.

What was her secret to longevity? According to her granddaughter, "She just enjoyed life. She never thought of dying at all. She was planning for her birthday party." May would have turned 115 on May 17. Her granddaughter said that Ray remained active and spry up until about two weeks before her death.

Ray is survived by her two sons, eight grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and five great-great grandchildren.

Following May's death, the oldest living American is now Neva Morris of Ames, Iowa. Morris is 114 years, 216 days old.

UPDATE: MSNBC.com is reporting that Ray died just hours before Daisy Bailey, who was 113 years, 342 days old. Bailey lived in Detroit, and her family reported that she suffered from dementia.