Month: April 2023

LongeviQuest is delighted to announce the validation of Mr. Efraín Antonio Ríos García of Itagüí, Antioquia, Colombia, the third-oldest living man in the world.

Mr. Ríos García was born in the countryside of the town of Fredonia, Antioquia Department, Colombia on 4 April 1910. He married Herminia Uribe and the couple had 18 children. Longevity was present in his family, as his older brother, Francisco, passed away at the age of 106 in 2011. In April 2013, at the age of 103, he and his wife celebrated 80 years of marriage. His wife passed away in 2015.

The research on Mr. Ríos García’s case was initiated by Mr. Santiago Garcia Medina, who verified his age for the Latin American Supercentenarians (LAS), where he was listed as pending validation on 23 April 2021. The validation process was completed by Mr. Fabrizio Villatoro two years later.

Mr. Ríos García is currently the third-oldest living man in the world whose age has been authenticated by an organization specializing in age verification. The world’s oldest living man, validated by the LAS and recognized by the Guinness World Records, is Mr. Juan Vicente Pérez Mora of Venezuela, who is approaching his 114th birthday. The second place is held by Mr. Eusebio Quintero López, also from Colombia.

Congratulations to Mr. Ríos García and his family!

The Bribie Island Baptist Church of Bongaree recently confirmed on its YouTube channel the passing of Mrs. Mary Gwendoline “Gwen” Moore, the oldest living person in Australia.

Mrs. Moore was born in Tredegar, Wales, UK, in 1911. At some point, she moved to Australia where she spent her final days in Bongaree, a suburb of Bribie Island, Queensland. She passed away on 31 March, aged 111. Her age has not been validated by LongeviQuest or European Supercentenarian Organisation (ESO).

With the passing of Mrs. Moore, the title of Australia’s oldest living resident goes to Catherina van der Linden of Adelaide, South Australia. Mrs. van der Linden was born in the Netherlands, on 26 August 1912, and migrated to Australia in 1955 with her husband and children.

Besides Mrs. van der Linden, there’s one more supercentenarian living in Australia, Mrs. Dulcie Fawcett of Western Australia, who celebrated her 110th birthday in January.

María Branyas Morera, the oldest validated living person in the world, became the oldest person ever in the entire history of Spain.

Sra. Branyas Morera became the oldest person in the history of Spain after surpassing the age of the previous record holder of Mrs. Ana María Vela Rubio on 21 April 2023, at the age of 116 years and 48 days.

Maria lives her daily life at her residence in Santa Maria del Tura in the city of Olot, Catalonia, Spain.

Branyas expresses that while she doesn’t feel anything special about the record of being the oldest living person in the world or the oldest person ever in the history of Spain because she only feels “older”, she appreciates the fact of continuing to live, and enjoy life in a healthy way.

The LongeviQuest team visited Fusa Tatsumi-san on her 116th birthday on April 25, 2023. We met her and her family at her nursing home Hakutou in Kashiwara City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.

The CEO and director of LongeviQuest; Mr. Ben Meyers, Commissioner and President of LQ Japan; Mrs. Yumi Yamamoto, and the Commissioner and President of LQ América; Mr. Fabrizio Villatoro, visited Fusa Tatsumi-san on behalf of the organization. We had a pleasant visit with the mayor of the Kashiwara City; Mr. Masahiro Fuke, the nursing home staff, Tatsumi-san’s family members and Tatsumi-san herself. Fusa Tatsumi was very calm, but active at hearing about those who speaks to her.

Tatsumi’s relatives were very welcoming to the LongeviQuest team. We congratulated and celebrated her longevity by giving her flowers, a beautiful cake with decorations that represents the longevity in Japan, a plaque of her incredible longevity about being the oldest living person in Japan, and the birthday wishes of many fans and researchers who congratulated and sent to her.

LongeviQuest deeply thanks and appreciates the nursing home staff and Fusa Tatsumi’s family to give us permission to visit her, it was an honor to all of us.

We deeply appreciate and thank to our photographer Mrs. Akane Matsumoto for the beautiful photos.

Kashiwara, Osaka Prefecture, Japan – Fusa Tatsumi, Japan’s oldest living person, has reached the age of 116.  Mrs. Tatsumi became the oldest person in Japan in April 2022 following the death of Kane Tanaka (119 years old).  According to the LongeviQuest world ranking, Mrs. Tatsumi is currently the second oldest person in the world.  She is the seventh Japanese person to verifiably reach the age of 116, and only the 27th person in human history to do so.  Additionally, she is presently the 27th longest-lived person in human history.

Mrs. Tatsumi was honored today at her birthday party held at Hakuto, a special nursing home for the elderly.  LongeviQuest representatives including CEO Ben Meyers, LongeviQuest Japan President Yumi Yamamoto, and Global Validation Commissioner Fabrizio Villatoro attended the ceremony and presented Mrs. Tatsumi with a plaque honoring her status as Japan’s oldest living person, as well as a bouquet of flowers, a cake, and congratulations from over 75 well-wishers from 15 countries across the world.  The party was also attended by Japanese government officials, including the Mayor of Kashiwara, Mr. Masahiro Fuke, and representatives from the prefectural government.  According to her son, Kanji, Mrs. Tatsumi enjoyed the ceremony.

Mrs. Tatsumi was born in Yao City, Osaka Prefecture in 1907 (Meiji 40) as the second daughter of six children.  Before getting married, she obtained a diploma after studying flower arrangements and tea ceremony preparation.  At the age of 32, she married a farmer who grew peaches and grapes, and she worked in farming for 25 years.  Her love for gardening continued; until she entered a nursing home at the age of 106, she grew chrysanthemums at home as a hobby.  According to her eldest son, Kanji, Mrs. Tatsumi is a methodical and hard worker who has lived a regular life for many years.  He says that working in the orchard may have contributed to her longevity.

Click here for additional photos from our visit to Tatsumi-san.

LongeviQuest has confirmed the passing of Mr. Santos Hildebrando Rivas Garcia of San Pablo Tacachico, La Libertad, the oldest living person in El Salvador, and one of the oldest living men in the world whose age has been authenticated by an organization specializing in age verification. His age has been validated by LongeviQuest in January, making him the first validated supercentenarian in El Salvador.

Rivas Garcia was born in Chalatenango, Chalatenango Department, El Salvador, on 17 August 1911. He got married at the age of 21 and had 15 children in total.

With Mr. Rivas Garcia’s passing on 17 April, at the age of 111 years, 243 days, the title of the oldest living person in El Salvador likely goes to Mrs. Sabina Garay of San Salvador, though her age has not been fully validated. The leading researchers for Latin America are currently trying to verify the potential successor for the title of the oldest living man in El Salvador. One of the candidates is a man from La Libertad who celebrated his claimed 110th birthday last October.

LongeviQuest sends our condolences to the family.