BIOGRAPHY

Saturnino de la Fuente García was born in León, Castile and León, Spain, on 11 February 1909 (claimed 8 February), as the youngest of six children born to Salustiano and Josefa.

In 1933, he married Antonina Barrio Gutierrez. The couple had seven daughters and one son who died an infant. He stood 150 cm during his life, and claimed that it’s thanks to his short height that he later avoided fighting in the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). He used to create boots for the army. He found himself trapped under the rubble left by an air crash, when a Condor Legion plane went down in 1937 in León. He played for and co-founded the local football team, Puente Castro, and was a constant supporter of León’s team, Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa.

His wife died around 1982. On his 110th birthday in February 2019, Puente Castro paid homage to the former player as the oldest member of the soccer club. He started taking a medicine only few months prior to his 110th birthday. The local residents knew him as “El pepino” (which translates as “the cucumber”). At the age of 112, he lived with his daughter Angeles, and his son-in-law, Bernardo. At the time he had 14 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren. When asked about the secret of his longevity, he replied: “A quiet life… and do not hurt anyone.”

Saturnino de la Fuente Garcia died in his hometown on 18 January 2022, at the age of 112 years, 341 days.

RECOGNITION

On 28 August 2019. following the death of 111-year-old Jesús Mosteo Pérez, he became the oldest living man in Spain.

On 27 June 2020, following the death of 111-year-old Dumitru Comănescu. of Romania, he became the oldest known living man in Europe.

On 2 December 2020. following the death of 111-year-old Vicenta Prieto Santos, he became the oldest living Spanish-born person.

On 12 August 2021, following the death of 113-year-old Emilio Flores Marquez of Puerto Rico, he became the world’s oldest living man, and a month later he was recognized by the Guinness World Records.

ATTRIBUTION

GALLERY