World’s Oldest Living Sibling Trio With Combined Age of 316 Years

The story of Zoraide (104), Levita (108), and Zulina (103) is, above all, a testimony to the beauty of sisterhood and the love that flourishes across generations. With a combined age of 316 years, the three sisters are currently the World’s Oldest Known Living Trio of Siblings.

Daughters of Manoel de Deus Nunes and Jovelina de Deus Nunes, the three sisters were born in Cedro de São João — at the time a district of Propriá — in the state of Sergipe, Brazil, and belonged to a large family of eight siblings: Edimar (1915–2001), Levita (1917), Onias (1919–2005), Donaura (1920–1995), Zoraide (1921), Zulina (1923), Antônio (1924–1993), and Avelon (1925–1925). Raised in an environment marked by family unity, discipline, hard work, and solidarity, the sisters built different life paths, yet remained deeply connected through bonds of care and affection.

The article was co-written by LongeviQuest’s Brazilian researchers, Iara Souza and Gabriel Ainsworth. Special thanks to Zuleide Nunes dos Santos, Zulina’s daughter, for her invaluable assistance in providing extensive biographical details and photographs.

 

LEVITA DE DEUS NUNES

Levita de Deus Nunes was born on 7 June 1917 and was the couple’s second child as well as the eldest daughter. From a very young age, she assumed responsibilities within the household, becoming her parents’ right hand and an essential figure in raising her younger siblings. While her parents worked in the fields, it was Levita who managed the home, organized the household routine, and cared for the family.

This spirit of care accompanied her throughout her entire life. In Sergipe and later in Rio de Janeiro, Levita became a true second mother to her nieces and nephews, allowing her sisters to work and seek better living conditions. Around 1953, she moved to Rio de Janeiro to support Zulina during the difficult process of adapting to the new city.

Although she never officially married in a civil ceremony, Levita devoted her entire life to her family. She inherited from her mother a talent for handmade crafts and transformed crochet, knitting, and sewing into activities that combined livelihood, leisure, and personal expression.

Later in life, she experienced a remarkable chapter when she joined Rede Globo Television. For about 15 years, she worked behind the scenes at the network, participating in the audience groups of historic comedy programs such as those hosted by Chico Anysio, in addition to appearing as an extra in soap operas. This experience also represented her financial independence, securing formal employment registration and, later, retirement through Brazil’s social security system.

Throughout her life, she built both emotional and material wealth grounded in generosity. After receiving an apartment in the Copacabana neighborhood from her second partner, she decided to sell it in order to purchase a house in the Olaria neighborhood, where she welcomed her widowed mother and her brother Antônio, keeping the family united under her care.

Today, at 108 years old and approaching her 109th birthday, Levita remains bedridden but intellectually active, preserving the reading habit that has always brought her pleasure and companionship. She is now surrounded by the affection of her nephews and nieces — especially Zulina’s children — who repay the love and dedication she gave throughout decades.

 

ZORAIDE DE DEUS MOTA

Zoraide de Deus Mota was born on 24 November 1921. Unlike the more traditional path expected of women of her generation, she chose education and professional achievement as her life’s mission. She graduated as a primary school teacher from the Escola Normal de Aracaju and began her professional journey in São Cristóvão, Sergipe.

In 1944, she moved to Rio de Janeiro in search of new opportunities, having been motivated by her vocation for healthcare. The move was also influenced by cousins already living in the former Brazilian capital who believed in the transformative power of education.

In Rio de Janeiro, Zoraide enrolled at the prestigious Anna Nery School of Nursing, where she studied as a resident student and completed her nursing education. Over the years, she built a respected and solid career, working in several hospitals until her retirement.

On 6 February 1950, she married Enéas Alves da Mota, with whom she had five children. Although the marriage later ended in separation, followed by an official divorce in 1975, Zoraide remained steadfast in both her professional and family life, balancing motherhood with her nursing career.

Throughout her life, she endured profound losses, including the deaths of two of her children — one while still young and another later in adulthood (her eldest son). Even so, she remained a symbol of strength, balance, and dedication to family.

Today, at 104 years old, she lives in the Tijuca neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro alongside her daughter Ângela. Her legacy remains alive in the following generations, which include professionals in medicine, law, and other academic fields. Her family includes 9 grandchildren — among them a granddaughter living in Germany — and 13 great-grandchildren. Zoraide remains a symbol of female pioneering, independence, courage, and the appreciation of education.

 

ZULINA DE DEUS NUNES

Zulina de Deus Nunes was born on 4 March 1923. She grew up in an environment deeply connected to the traditional values of the countryside of Sergipe and, from an early age, learned domestic and artisanal skills that would later become fundamental to her survival and independence: sewing, cross-stitch embroidery, and refined handmade crafts.

On 17 July 1945, she married José Benvindo dos Santos, an employee of the former Federal Railway Network. During their marriage, she took responsibility for managing the household and raising their six children while her husband worked traveling the railway route between Aracaju and Salvador.

However, their marriage ended, and she faced one of the most difficult moments of her life. Alone, with small children and no financial stability, she decided to migrate to Rio de Janeiro around 1952 in search of a better future for her family. She took with her her two eldest children and a suitcase full of embroidery and towels made by her own hands — her only working tool at that moment.

The four younger children temporarily remained in Sergipe under the care of their grandparents and Levita until Zulina was able to establish herself in the new city. Upon arriving in Rio de Janeiro, she found fundamental support in Zoraide, who offered her shelter and assistance during the first month.

She quickly managed to rent her own home and reunite the family once again. Levita also moved in to help with household management, allowing Zulina to work daily selling her embroidery and sewing throughout the city streets.

Even though she never held formal employment with a registered labor contract, she transformed handicraft into a tool for social advancement: all six of her children earned university degrees.

Today, at 103 years old, Zulina continues to impress with her vitality and independence. She still performs household activities, cooks, and maintains an active routine. She became the matriarch of a large family that includes 9 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren, leaving behind a legacy of faith, perseverance, hard work, and absolute dedication to family.

 

Conclusion

More than simply living through a century, Levita, Zoraide, and Zulina crossed time while remaining deeply united. Through changes of city, family losses, financial hardships, wars, pandemics, and social transformations, they preserved the values learned during childhood in the countryside of Sergipe: the importance of family, solidarity, and caring for one another.

Over the decades, their lives became inseparably intertwined. Levita devoted her life to caring for the family and her nieces and nephews; Zoraide opened paths through education and nursing, welcoming her siblings in Rio de Janeiro; while Zulina transformed manual work into sustenance and opportunity for her children. Each, in her own way, became essential support for the others — offering shelter, protection, encouragement, and love during life’s most difficult moments.

Today, at 108, 104, and 103 years old, they represent not only an extraordinary story of longevity, but also a rare example of family unity that withstood the test of time.

 

All-Time Record

Although the sisters currently hold the title of the world’s oldest known living trio of siblings, they have not yet surpassed the all-time record. That distinction was likely achieved in 2009 by the American sisters Maggie Renfro (1895–2010), Carrie Lee Miller (1902–2010), and Rosie Lee Warren (1906–2009). At the time of Warren’s death in December 2009, the sisters’ combined age stood at an extraordinary 325 years.