New Jersey's oldest resident, who once claimed beer and whiskey kept her spry, has died.
Agnes Fenton, of Englewood, died Thursday morning. She celebrated her 112th birthday on Aug. 1.
Fenton once told News 12 New Jersey’s Karen Lee that the secret to her long life was her love of Johnnie Walker Blue whiskey and Miller High Life beer.
"One drink of Johnnie, two drinks of blue. One drink of blue, two drinks of Johnnie. I don't get drunk now,” Fenton said when News 12 visited her to celebrate her 110th birthday.
Fenton was born in Holly Springs, Mississippi, in 1905 and became the first black woman to own a restaurant in Tennessee. She moved to New Jersey with her second husband.
Although old age forced her to quit drinking, friends say Fenton remained mentally sharp. Fenton always reminded those close to her of the importance of having God in their lives.
Joseph Thompson says that he lived next door to Fenton for more than 50 years. He says that Fenton planted a tree for his family when they first moved in.
"It just hurts thinking about it, that she's gone now,” Thompson says. “I'll miss her tremendously, my family, the neighborhood."
Thompson says that the smells of the wonderful foods Fenton always cooked would waft through the neighborhood. Fenton’s pies were famous among her friends and family and she would often give them away.
"I still make them. I do anything today I could do yesterday,” Fenton told News 12.
Fenton never had any biological children, but her friends and neighbors say that they were her family. Neighbor Robert Henderson still takes care of her lawn.
"You don't find people like that everyday so you have to enjoy the pleasure of being around someone like that,” Henderson says.
While the cocktails made her famous, Fenton said that her real secret for longevity was God and love.
Funeral arraignments for Fenton have not yet been finalized as of this posting.