BIOGRAPHY

Fernanda da Costa was born in a small stone house near “Esturreira” in the parish of Lapa do Lobo, on 2 June 1914. She was the second of six children (three sons and three daughters) born to parents Augusto Monteiro and Maria Zé da Costa Felgosa. As an elderly lady, she shared a few stories from her childhood, reminiscing about days spent playing billiards, capelinha, and mesh. She recalled the sense of unity among the local people during times of hardship and hunger. During those difficult times, her mother would salt the beans to help stave off their appetite. When it rained, the horseshoes of the oxen would create small puddles of water, which people would drink from, kneeling, to quench their thirst. Her father worked on the railway line, and she described him as a tough man, particularly strict with her older brother. She did not attend school, as it was not mandatory at the time, and spent her childhood caring for sheep with her father, starting when she was seven or eight years old. She began working day jobs around the age of 15, earning 3000 réis a day.

On 20 August 1931, at the age of 17, she married Armindo Marques Polónio, who was also from Lapa do Lobo. Before, she was about to marry Zé, her husband’s cousin, with whom she had dated for a month. Fernanda’s father was about to go to Brazil and wanted to expedite the wedding, offering to pay for the wedding suit for his future son-in-law. However, her fiancé’s family was poor and did not want him to marry yet. Later, she met Armindo and they got married. At the time of their marriage, she was three months pregnant, and on March 26th the following year, their eldest daughter Jovina was born. The couple had 11 children. One of her daughters, Sabina Maria, died at three and a half years old. The other nine children were: Natália, Helena, Lázaro, Álvaro, Sérgio, Cândido, Mário, Palmira, and Ana.

Fernanda da Costa passed away on 9 November 2024 in Lapa do Lobo, Nelas, Viseu District, Portugal, at the age of 110.

RECOGNITION

Her age was verified by Gabriel Lemos, and validated by the ESO on 16 August 2024.

ATTRIBUTION

* “ ‘Fernanda da Esperança’ com 106 anos vence duas pandemias” – Correio da Manhã, 31 December 2020

* “Perfil: Fernanda da Costa” – Fundação Lapa do Lobo, July 2023

GALLERY