Maria de Jesus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Maria de Jesus | |
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| Born | September 10, 1893 Olival, Ourém, Portugal |
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| Residence | Olival, Ourém, Portugal |
| Known for | Second-oldest verified person in the world |
Maria de Jesus dos Santos (born September 10, 1893) is a Portuguese supercentenarian, and, since the August 13, 2007 death of Japanese woman and then oldest person Yone Minagawa, the second-oldest person in the world. She has been the oldest verified living person in Portugal since the death of fellow 114-year-old Maria do Couto Maia-Lopes on July 25, 2005, and the oldest in Europe since the death of another 114-year-old, Frenchwoman Camille Loiseau, on August 12, 2006.[1]
Born as Maria dos Santos, Maria de Jesus had five children, three of whom are still living. One of those, a daughter, Madalena, was born on December 25, 1924 and lives with her. Maria's husband died in 1951. Her younger son, Manuel Santos, was born in 1928. During her lifetime, she visited the hospital only once and is reportedly in very good health. Maria worked on the land for her entire life and still lives in a village. She enjoys looking through her old family albums, eating rice pudding and taking a bath. Maria is also the oldest verified person who still lives in her own house instead of a nursing home. Reportedly, she never smoked or drank too much alcohol.[2] She is one of only two people still living born in 1893, along with American woman Edna Parker, who is older.[1]
As of June 9, 2008, aged 114 years, 273 days, she ranks among the 30 oldest verified people of all time.
If Maria is still living on June 11, 2008, she will become the oldest verified Portugese person of all time.
[edit] See also
- List of living supercentenarians
- List of Portuguese supercentenarians
- List of the verified oldest people
- Oldest people
- Supercentenarian
