Fernando Núñez Bassó

BIOGRAPHY

Núñez Bassó was born in Mexico City, Mexico, on 3 August 1916 to parents Luis Núñez Posada, an artillery colonel, and Ana Bassó Cruañas. He studied at Vocational School Number 2 and later at the National Polytechnic Institute, in the School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (ESIME) in Mexico City. He was part of the first generation of what is now known as Electronic Engineering.

During World War II, he joined the Mexican Air Force, where he helped classify electronic devices imported from the United States. In September 1942, he married Magdalena Colunga Cadena. They had five children, two of whom are still alive as of April 2025. Their marriage lasted until the early 1970s, when Magdalena passed away. In July 1977, he married for a second time, to María de la Luz Rosales, with whom he had a daughter. Across both marriages, he would go on to have 15 grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren (April 2025).

His passion for radio led him to start his own radio construction business. However, this created a dilemma: he had to leave the Air Force to fully pursue his passion in the mid-1950s. At the age of 90, he learned to play the piano and enjoyed dancing. At the age of 103, it was reported that he continued to work and remained able to walk independently. When asked about the secret to his long life he said: “You have to be happy, you must work and to be active.”

RECOGNITION

His age was verified by Gabriel Ainsworth and Fabrizio Villatoro, with the assistance of his family, and validated by LongeviQuest on 9 April 2025.

Núñez Bassó is the oldest (validated) living man in Mexico City.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Fernando Núñez, de la 1a generación del ESIME, 103 años y activo” – El Sol de México, 2 November 2019

GALLERY

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