BIOGRAPHY

Eudocia Barría Barrientos was born on the island of Mechuque, belonging to the Chiloé Archipelago in the Los Lagos Region, Chile, on 10 February 1911. She was the second of three children born to parents Zacarías Barría and Juana Barrientos. Her father was a mason. Her older brother, Abel, was a merchant navy man, and her younger sister, Francisca, died after a shipwreck at the age of 2. Soon after her birth, the family relocated to Puerto Montt. She studied sewing and embroidery in Singer company workshops, dedicating herself to embroidery from a very young age. In 1930, she acquired a sewing machine that she continued using her entire life. Throughout her career, she primarily served local families of German descent.

After World War II, she received requests to produce clothing for export to Germany. She enjoyed joining her brother on journeys throughout Chile. Some of her hobbies included cultivating orchards and baking biscuits and cookies for her granddaughters. Teaching the women in the family how to sew using her sewing machine and infusing pillows with fragrance were also activities she relished. She had a fondness for receiving bouquets to adorn her home. Although she never married, she had a daughter, Lourdes, in 1944. She looked after her two granddaughters from the moment they were born.

At the age of 110, she was still able to sew. At the age of 112, she relied on a cane for support, occasionally experiencing disorientation upon waking. Despite these challenges, she maintained her independence, eating unassisted and keeping up with current events by reading the newspaper. While she was dealing with hearing difficulties for an extended period, she made efforts to read lips. She had two granddaughters and two great-grandchildren.

Eudocia Barría Barrientos passed away in Puerto Montt, Los Lagos Region, Chile, on 5 March 2024, at the age of 113 years, 24 days.

RECOGNITION

Her age was verified by Fabrizio Villatoro, and validated by LongeviQuest on 6 September 2023. Upon her validation, she claimed the title of the oldest validated person from Chile. However, the Latin American Supercentenarians (LAS) had listed two older women as “pending validations,” namely María Mercedes Díaz Quijano (1898–2012) and Margarita Arriagada Cancino (1897–2011).

On 30 January 2024, she was visited by LongeviQuest and presented with a certificate acknowledging her status as Chile’s oldest living person.

ATTRIBUTION

GALLERY