Edie Ceccarelli of Willits, the oldest person in the country and the second oldest person in the world, passed away peacefully in her sleep just 17 days after her 116 birthday earlier this month. Edie was much beloved and was a local celebrity, with folks coming from all over to participate in her birthday parades over the past years. Edie was only ten months younger than the oldest person in the world, a San Francisco-born woman who lives in Spain. A memorial is being planned by her cousin, Evelyn Persico.