The oldest person in the world, Spain's Maria Branyas, dies at the age of 117

Born on 4 March 1907 in San Francisco, the Catalan woman's family announced she died "peacefully and without pain" in her sleep

María G. Astorga

Girona

Tuesday, 20 August 2024, 15:06 | Updated 17:00h.

The Spanish woman Maria Branyas, considered the oldest-living person in the world as of January 2023, died on Tuesday in the town of Olot (Girona) in the northeast of Spain's Catalonia region. She lived her last years in the Santa Maria del Tura residence, where she died, according to the family, "as she wanted: in her sleep, peacefully and without pain".

Maria's long life began on 4 March 1907 in San Francisco, where she spent the first years of her childhood. She was the daughter of Spanish immigrants in the USA, a journalist from Pamplona and a Catalan mother. In 1914, at the age of seven, she returned to Spain, just as the first Great War of the last century broke out. She arrived by ship via the Azores and Cuba, an alternative route to avoid the Nordic seas and German attacks. It was a voyage that marked the fate of her family. But this woman has witnessed a great deal of history. She managed to survive the two World Wars, the 1918 flu pandemic, Franco's regime, and most recently, the Covid pandemic, at the age of 113. In fact, Branyas was infected and overcame the coronavirus asymptomatically, becoming, at the same time, the oldest person to overcome the virus.

She led a very active life and was able to travel to many places around the world. Before settling in Olot, Banyas lived in New Orleans, Barcelona, Bañolas and Girona, where she had three children, followed by eleven grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren, as well as in many towns on the Catalan Costa Brava. She entered the nursing home at the age of 90 and, as she has shown through social media networks, her old age has also been active until the age of 105.

Since January 2023, following the death of Lucile Randon, a French nun, Maria Branyas was awarded the title of the world's oldest person by the Gerontology Research Group and Guinness World Records, who also noted in May this year that she was the eighth oldest person and woman to have lived the longest. She has always attributed her longevity to a quiet life, good genetics and avoiding unnecessary worries. Her robust health was worthy of a study. Manel Esteller, director of the Josep Carreras Research Institute, who investigated Branyas' case, indicated that the age of her cells was 14 years younger than her ID card.

As reported by her family on the social media network X, they assured that she will always be remembered for her advice and kindness, in her words she said a few days ago: "One day, which I don't know, but which is very near, this long journey will be over. Death will find me worn out from having lived so much, but I want it to find me smiling, free and satisfied."

After leading an active life, she had recently shown signs of weakness. Her own family noted a few days ago in another message on X that Branyas, in their words, felt her time was approaching: "I feel weak. The time is near. Don't cry, I don't like tears. And above all do not suffer for me. You know me, wherever I go I will be happy, for in some way I will always carry you with me".

Now, according to the specialised portal Longeviquest, the oldest person title has been assumed by the Japanese citizen Tomiko Itooka, aged 116 years and 89 days, who was born in Osaka on 23 May 1908.

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