The world’s oldest person has passed away at the remarkable age of 117.
Maria Branyas, an American-born Spaniard considered to be the world’s oldest person at 117, has died, her family announced on Tuesday (August 20).
In a message posted on Ms. Branyas’s Twitter account, her family wrote in Catalan: “Maria Branyas has left us. She has gone the way she wanted: in her sleep, at peace, and without pain.
“We will always remember her for her advice and her kindness.”
The Gerontology Research Group, which verifies the ages of individuals believed to be 110 or older, recognized Ms. Branyas as the world’s oldest known person following the passing of French nun Lucile Randon last year.
Ms. Branyas was born in San Francisco on March 4, 1907, before her family moved back to Spain during her early years.
At the time of her passing, she was residing in the Residència Santa María del Tura nursing home in the Catalan town of Olot, where she had lived since 2000.
Ms. Branyas assumed the title of the oldest person on January 17, after Randon, known as Sister Andre, died at the age of 118 years and 340 days. The Guinness Book of World Records confirmed her title.
In a 2019 interview with Catalan News, she described her move from San Francisco to Catalonia, Spain, in 1914 by boat during World War I.
She recounted: “We came here on a boat. Because of the war, Germany was still attacking the North, and you couldn’t go through the Nordic seas, but we could go further down through the Azores and Cuba.
“In 1914 I was already a bit aware [of what was happening].”
Reflecting on both World Wars, she stated: “They were very harmful in Europe, but they also brought some advances.”
She also recalled the Spanish Civil War that occurred between 1936 and 1939, adding: “I have very bad memories of it, some people rose up and started to commit atrocities when no one was talking about it.”
Branyas was born the same year the first car was registered in Barcelona.
Her Twitter account is named ‘Super Catalan Grandma,’ with the description: “I am old, very old, but not an idiot.”
According to the Gerontology Research Group, the next oldest person is Tomiko Itooka from Japan, who is 116 and now holds the title of the oldest person in the world.
However, the oldest fully authenticated human to ever live was Jeanne Louise Calment of France.
She passed away at the age of 122 years and 164 days on August 4, 1997.