LongeviQuest is pleased to announce that, Mrs. Rosa Julia Peña Hechavarría, aged 111, has become the oldest living person in Cuba after Mrs. Angelina Nazco Pulido passed away at the age of 111 on 15 August 2026.
Her family has informed LongeviQuest that Mrs. Peña Hechavarría remains in excellent health, a source of great joy and gratitude for her family. She will soon celebrate her 112th birthday on 23rd October, a particularly special and meaningful occasion for her family.
On 30 August 2026. (Source: Courtesy of the family).
Biography
Peña Hechavarría was born in Santa María region (now the municipality of Puerto Padre), Las Tunas province, Cuba, on 23 October 1914 to parents Feliberto Peña Jomarron and Elvira Hechavarría Agüero. She spent her childhood helping her parents and her eight siblings in the rural neighborhood where they lived, along with her aunts, uncles, and cousins. From a young age, she displayed a free and cheerful spirit: she disliked going to school and, on more than one occasion, would run away to bathe in the river or feed the farm animals, especially the chickens.
Her father, Feliberto Peña, worked in agriculture. In addition to working for others, he cultivated a small family plot where he planted corn, cassava, sweet potatoes, plantains, and other root crops. To supplement the family’s diet, he also hunted deer and fished for bonefish. Her mother, Elvira Hechavarría, took care of the household chores and the poultry, raising chickens and hens for eggs and meat. Music was an essential part of the family’s life. Several of her uncles were musicians wh played at local festivals.
In 1933, Rosa Julia and her boyfriend Rubén decided to elope during one of the town’s festivals. Rubén already owned a small house in the village of Santa María, it was there where they would begin their new life together. Rosa Julia, always hardworking, took charge of a shop, a busy business that sold everything needed for rural life: from clothing and household items to tools like hammers and machetes.
Rosa Julia Peña married Rubén Ricardo in November 1950, and they had two children—Roberto (born 1943) and Griselda (born 1949). From this marriage, the family grew up to five grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
LongeviQuest extends its heartfelt congratulations to Mrs. Peña Hechavarría on becoming the oldest living person in Cuba. We sincerely wish her continued good health, strength, and many more years of life surrounded by her loved ones.
