João Marinho Neto, World’s Oldest Man, Turns 114

João Marinho Neto, the world’s oldest living man, turned 114 today in Apuiarés, Ceará, Brazil. Although his birthday is today, his birthday celebration will be held at a later date.

João Marinho Neto was born in Maranguape, Ceará, Brazil on 5 October 1912, into a family of farmers. His parents were Antônio Júlio da Graça (1879) and Victoria da Virgem Mártyr (1882). During his childhood, his parents moved the family to a rural area of Apuiarés (at the time a district of Pentecoste). From the age of about four, João was already enjoying helping his father and his employee in the fields. Along with taking care of the cattle, they would harvest fruit from Juazeiro trees, by creating a makeshift hook from the branches to protect the fruit. He experienced hardship on several occasions, as he had to survive through severe droughts that struck the region throughout the decades.

In 1944, João married Josefa Albano dos Santos (1920–1994), with whom he had five children: Antônio Arilo, José Almir (deceased), Fátima, Raimundo, and Vanda (deceased). His wife had inherited property at Fazenda Massapê, where João cultivated the land with corn and beans. He also raised cattle, goats, pigs, and chickens. Later in his life, João had three more children—Vinícius, Jarbas, and Conceição—with Antonia Rodrigues Moura. Through hard work, João built a financially stable life, accruing assets such as land and houses.

His descendants include six living children, 22 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren.

On 25 November 2024, following the passing of 112-year-old John Tinniswood, he became the World’s Oldest Living Man, at the age of 112 years, 51 days, and was subsequently recognized by Guinness World Records.

At the moment, he is the 10th-oldest (validated) living person in the world, as well as the last surviving man born in 1912.

 

SPECIAL BIRTHDAY GREETINGS

Arranged by LongeviQuest, with the help of both families, the two oldest living men in the world were able to exchange birthday greetings for the first documented time.

Following João, the second-oldest living man in the world is Australia’s Ken Weeks. By coincidence, the two men were born exactly one year apart. While João celebrated his 114th birthday, Ken Weeks was marking his 113th birthday on the other side of the world. The two supercentenarians exchanged birthday greetings and congratulated each other on reaching their respective birthdays.

This special birthday exchange was made possible through the efforts of LongeviQuest UK researcher Ben Hinchliffe, in collaboration with João’s granddaughter, Valéria Marinho, and Shannon Muscolino, General Communications/PR Manager at Whiddon Care Homes.

LongeviQuest extends warm congratulations to João Marinho Neto on his 114th birthday.