Guinness World Records is saddened to learn that the world’s oldest person, Maria Branyas Morera (USA/Spain), passed away yesterday, 19 August. Her death was confirmed by the Gerontology Research Group.
Aged 117 years 168 days, she was the eighth-oldest person (with a verifiable age) in history.
Maria passed away peacefully at the nursing home in Catalonia, Spain, where she resided for the past two decades.
She was confirmed to be the world’s oldest woman (and person overall) in January 2023, following the death of Lucile Randon (France).
Maria attributed her longevity to “order, tranquility, good connection with family and friends, contact with nature, emotional stability, no worries, no regrets, lots of positivity, and staying away from toxic people.”
She added: “I think longevity is also about being lucky. Luck and good genetics.”
Maria spent her formative years in America – she was born on 4 March 1907 in San Francisco, California, one year after her parents emigrated to the country.
After living in both Texas and New Orleans, the family decided to return to Catalonia in 1915, amidst the First World War.
The trans-Atlantic voyage proved to be a perilous one, and not just because enemy German ships were patrolling the ocean.
Eight-year-old Maria unfortunately fell from the upper to lower deck while playing with her brothers, permanently losing hearing in one ear. Maria’s father also tragically succumbed to pulmonary tuberculosis towards the end of the journey.
The family arrived and settled in Barcelona, then later moved to the town of Banyoles in northeastern Catalonia.
Aged 24, Maria married her husband, Dr Joan Moret, and they went on to have three children.
The couple worked together during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) to treat wounded soldiers, and Maria continued working as her husband’s assistant following the war.
Dr Moret died in 1976, and María also outlived her eldest son August, who passed away aged 86.
After living through both World Wars, the Spanish Civil War, and the Spanish Flu pandemic, María also survived COVID-19 in 2020.
She was 113 when she contracted the virus, but she managed to make a full recovery within a few days, becoming the world’s oldest COVID-19 survivor. Lucile Randon later broke this record.
Maria celebrated her 117th birthday earlier this year, spending the day with her family and friends at her care home.
Beyond being hard of hearing and having mobility issues, she had no other health issues, and her mind was perfectly lucid.
Maria is survived by two children, 11 grandchildren, and many more great-grandchildren. Our thoughts are with her family at this time.
Source: guinnessworldrecords