Tomiko Itooka, a Japanese woman born before the start of World War I and the sinking of the Titanic and who was believed to be the oldest person in the world, died at a nursing home in Ashiya, Japan. She was 116. In a statement released Saturday, the mayor of Ashiya said Itooka passed away last Sunday. He did not give a cause, but local news media reports said she died peacefully of complications related to old age.

“I offer my deepest condolences,” said Mayor Ryosuke Takashima. “Ms. Itooka gave us great courage and hope throughout her long life.”

Itooka was declared the oldest living person by the Guinness World Records in September after the death of Maria Branyas Morera of Spain at age 117.

Itooka was born Tomiko Yano on May 23, 1908, in the city of Osaka, one of three children in a family that ran a clothing store. At that time, her country was a rising imperial power that had just defeated czarist Russia in war and was embarking on expansion into mainland Asia.

Itooka is survived by one daughter, one son and five grandchildren.