Achillina Bueno Matta

BIOGRAPHY

Achillina Bueno Matta – or Lina, as she is better known – was born in Campos dos Goytacazes, a municipality in the northern part of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 12 April 1918. She is the daughter of Benedicto da Silva Bueno (2 July 1881 – 3 November 1965) and Julietta Ferreira Bueno (d. 8 March 1919). Her name derives from Achilles Balbino de Lelles Mello, the Monsignor in Campos who baptized her.

Her mother passed away due to cardiac arrest when Achillina was just 11 months old, leaving her an orphan alongside her eight siblings. Consequently, her father took them to live in São Fidélis, a neighboring municipality where her maternal aunt, Izabel, and other relatives resided. This aunt – who was single and childless – offered to raise them herself, as she could not bear to see them separated.

She spent the greater part of her childhood in São Fidélis, where she completed her early schooling at the town’s *Grupo Escolar*, a primary school. Later, she attended *Ginásio*, a secondary school in the municipality of Campos, where her father was living. He had since remarried and had six more children from this second marriage.

Achillina – affectionately nicknamed “Risete” by her family members and siblings – spent her childhood visiting her aunts and uncles who lived in the rural areas surrounding São Fidélis. They were farmers: some raised cattle, while others cultivated coffee. It was great fun to run through the woods, swim in the river, and ride in an oxcart. There were also other children – the sons and daughters of farmhands – to play and have fun with.

On Sundays, everyone would head to the town square, where there were fairs (*quermesses*), live bands, and dances held in the bandstand.

Later on, once her older nieces and nephews had grown up and became independent, her Aunt Izabel moved to Niterói with her three nieces – Achillina among them – in search of better life opportunities. In Niterói, in the São Domingos neighborhood – where they resided for many years – the young women found employment in the Civil Service, met their respective husbands, and each had two children.

Achillina held various jobs before becoming a telegraph operator at the Post and Telegraph Office, where she worked for 35 years.

She married Isaac Matta (23 November 1910 – 8 January 1964), on 20 September 1947. She had two daughters: Maria Izabel (b. 1948) and Maria Cristina (b. 1956). Isaac worked as a projectionist at the Severiano Ribeiro Group (Kinoplex).

She was widowed at the age of 45 after Isaac passed away due to a malignant brain tumor, at which point she had to continue working while raising her two minor daughters.

Endowed with an extroverted and highly communicative personality, Achillina – after retiring in 1972 – began working as a volunteer at the Retirees’ Club in Niterói, serving as its secretary. During this period, she had the opportunity to take several trips throughout Brazil with SESC, as part of their senior citizen activities.

In 1982, she traveled abroad (to the USA) with her daughter Maria Cristina; she also took other trips within Brazil and even went on a themed cruise.

In 1990, she found a wonderful companion. They shared their lives together until 2004, enjoying outings, dancing, and making new friends at the clubs they frequented.

Achillina has three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren through her daughter, Maria Izabel.

Currently, at 108 years of age, she resides with her youngest daughter, Maria Cristina, in the Pendotiba neighborhood of Niterói, where she receives her care. Despite the limitations imposed by age (she has gradually lost her sight in recent years and has impaired hearing), Achillina still enjoys good health and vitality, and does not shy away from physiotherapy exercises, nor from the mental activities conducted daily by her caregivers.

A Catholic since childhood, she follows Mass daily on television and receives the Eucharist at home on Sundays.

RECOGNITION

Her age was verified by Gabriel Ainsworth, Iara Souza and Filipe Lopes, and validated by LongeviQuest on 30 April 2026.

ATTRIBUTION

All information regarding Achillina Bueno Matta’s biography was gathered through interviews conducted by LongeviQuest with her family.

GALLERY

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