The oldest living person in Croatia, Mrs. Mara Gabelica, passed away in the village of Zmijavci in Split-Dalmatia County, on May 27th, aged 109 years, 262 days. Her passing was confirmed by Slobodna Dalmacija.
Mrs. Gabelica was born as Mara Kujundžić in the village of Ivanbegovina in Split-Dalmatia County (then part of Austria-Hungary), on 8 September 1914. In 1932, at the age of 17, she married Ante Gabelica, and moved to her husband’s native village of Podbablje. In 1953, the couple moved to Zmijavci, where her husband died two years later. The couple had four children (two sons and two daughters).
When asked about the secret of her longevity, she replied that there is no real secret. She commented that you need to eat and drink little, work a lot, and cry a lot, and she went through all of that. She worked extensively in agriculture, tending fields and planting various crops, and she also had livestock such as cows and sheep.
On 8 May 2022, she became the oldest (known) living resident of Croatia. On 18 May 2024, following the passing of 110-year-old Marija Ruljancich of Australia, she became the oldest (known) Croatian-born person in the world. She held the title for only nine days. She is the second-oldest (known) person to have died in Croatia, only after Nina Valjalo who died at 110 in 2018.
LongeviQuest sends our deepest condolences to the bereaved family and friends of Mara Gabelica.
