COLUMBIA --- Leila Bertha Backman Shull, the oldest South Carolina resident and one of the oldest people in the world, has died. She was 113.

Mrs. Shull died Saturday at her home, said Todd Caughman, the manager of Caughman-Harmon Funeral Homes, on Wednesday.

Mrs. Shull, of Lexington County, was known as an avid gardener who enjoyed growing flowers. She was also known for her cooking, especially her biscuits and chicken.

Mrs. Shull was married to Lee Shull for 45 years and never remarried in the 47 years after he died. She had four children, 15 grandchildren, 34 great-grandchildren and 40 great-great-grandchildren.

Her 81-year-old daughter took care of her.

"We feel kind of like it's a relief to her," Lettie Mae Smith told The State .

Even as her hearing and vision failed, friends said, Mrs. Shull didn't mind visitors and liked to clutch their hands while she talked.

Friend Crystal Danker remembered Mrs. Shull's response once when told she was 113.

" 'Whew, that's a long time,' " Ms. Danker recalled saying. "'I think Jesus must've forgotten about me.'"

Mrs. Shull was the fourth-oldest person in the United States and the seventh-oldest in the world, said L. Stephen Coles, a co-founder of the California-based Gerontology Research Group.

Dr. Coles said there was some question whether Mrs. Shull was born in 1895, but his group recognizes her 1894 birth date.

Mrs. Shull's birth date and the day she was married was were recorded in a family Bible, which alerted relatives to her age.

"I didn't know Mom was that old," Mrs. Smith told The State . "And I wouldn't believe it until I saw it in the Bible."

Mrs. Shull was a member of St. David Lutheran Church for 75 years.