95-Year-Old West Virginia Man Becomes Oldest Donor in US History

Cecil Lockhart leaves a remarkable legacy. The 95-year-old, who died on May 4 and gave his liver to a woman in her sixties, became the oldest organ donor in United States history, according to the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE).

Lockhart, who hailed from Welch, West Virginia, was a proud coal miner who worked in the mines for more than 50 years, said his family. He also served as a corporal in the U.S. Army during World War II, according to KSBY6 News.

 "We are filled with pride and hope knowing that, even after a long, happy life, he is able to continue that legacy of generosity," Cecil's daughter, Sharon White, told CBS Pittsburg, who described her father as a very "generous person."

On Monday, the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) president and CEO Susan Stuart said that CORE is "incredibly proud to have been able to make this historic organ donation possible.”

“This landmark in the field of transplantation is just another example of CORE's pioneering legacy and commitment to innovation,” she said, ”which, over the last 40 years, has given 6,000 people in the United States the opportunity to save more than 15,000 others as organ donors.” 

White said her father became a donor over a decade ago after his son Stanley passed away. Over the last 10 years, he helped 75 people through tissue and cornea donations. She said that becoming a donor helped her father heal. 

“When my brother was a donor after he passed away a few years ago, it helped my dad to heal,” she said. “And today, knowing his life is continuing through others really is helping us through our grief, too.”

At Lockhart's funeral, the family told CORE that they asked everyone to register as an organ donor to honor their father's memory, KSBY reported.

Lockhart is survived by his wife of 75 years, Helen, his daughter, Sharon, and son Brian Lockhart, and a number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

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