BIOGRAPHY

Ángeles Álava Jiménez was born in Cascante, Navarre, Spain, on 3 August 1910. She was the eldest of three siblings in a farming family. During her childhood, she spent a great deal of time with her grandmother Isabel, who was responsible for dressing and feeding her. At some point, she lost the sight in her right eye due to measles. Her grandmother taught her to sew and bought her fabric, which she used to create her first robe at just 14 years old. Her two brothers died at 90 and 80 respectively, and her parents both died in their 80s.

At the age of 18, she met her future husband, Martín Huete Miramón, while they were picking olives in the fields of Cascante. At that time, he was already in a relationship with someone else. Four years later, they were married in a church ceremony at six in the morning. The celebration featured a cake that Ángeles herself baked, using eggs purchased with money her father had given her. The couple had two daughters, Rosario and Carmen. Five months after the birth of her daughter Carmen, her husband had his leg amputated due to a tumor. In response, the Cascante Town Hall organized a fundraising event to assist him and even found him a job as an orderly. However, in 1970, at the age of 63, he passed away from throat cancer.

At the age of 97, she lost the sight in her left eye, which remained blocked for seven months. However, after undergoing cataract surgery, she regained 20% of her vision and was able to see partially. After living alone until then, she moved in with her daughter Carmen due to partial blindness. She adapted to her new circumstances, maintaining an active lifestyle without medication and regularly participating in activities at the local retirement center. She was known for her sharp mind and strong will, continuing to engage in physical exercises and social activities well into her later years. At the age of 100, she was declared “Grandmother of the City” (Abuela de la Ciudad). At the age of 109, she had seven grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren.

At the age of 106, her daily routine was as follows: she typically went to bed at six in the evening and got up at half past nine in the morning. From eleven to one, she stayed at the retirement club. After returning home, she would eat two dishes and a dessert, always including vegetables, with a fried egg being her favorite. Once she finished her meal, she would sit on the sofa and watch television. A few months earlier, she still walked around the neighborhood a couple of times. Before that, she admitted that she wished to live to 110. Her religious devotion played a significant role in her life; she prayed frequently, at all times of the day.

In December 2021, she suffered a fall from which she did not recover. Ángeles Álava Jiménez passed away in Cascante, Navarre, Spain, on 21 December 2021, at the age of 111 years and 140 days.

RECOGNITION

In August 2020, she celebrated her 110th birthday. She was the first person in the autonomous community of Navarre to reach the age of 110 since Francisca García Torres did in 2011.

Upon her passing, María Cruz Martínez de Irujo succeeded her as the oldest living person in Navarre.

Her age has not been validated.

ATTRIBUTION

* “La ‘abuela’ de Cascante, Ángeles, celebra su 104 cumpleaños” – Diario de Navarra, 7 August 2014

* “La ‘abuela’ de Cascante, Ángeles Álava, celebra su 105 cumpleaños” – Diario de Navarra, 21 August 2015

* ““¿Soy la única que va a la escuela con 106 años?”” – Diario de Navarra, 5 March 2017

* “La cascantina Ángeles Álava, la mujer más veterana de Navarra” – Diario de Noticias de Navarra, 15 June 2020

* “La vacuna llega, por fin, a la abuela de Navarra” – Diario de Navarra, 3 April 2021

* “Muere la abuela de Navarra: un adiós tranquilo con 111 años” – Diario de Navarra, 21 December 2021

GALLERY