BIOGRAPHY

Garcia was born Maria Roberta Blanco Pariente in the village of Fiobre in the municipality of Bergondo, Galicia, Spain, on 29 April 1908. Born into a farming family, Maria was tasked with caring for her grandmother, Ramona, at just six years old. As a result, she was unable to attend school, but her husband taught her to read.

She married Gerardo Garcia in 1926 at the age of 18, and the couple had two children, Manuel and Marina. When her son Manuel was 16, he emigrated to the United States with his father, Gerardo. Shortly after, in 1945, Maria and her daughter Marina followed in their footsteps. Their journey took a month and was made even more challenging by the aftermath of World War II. They first traveled to Brazil, then to New Orleans, before finally arriving in New York.

The family initially settled in an apartment in Manhattan before moving to Flushing, Queens. Maria devoted herself to being a homemaker, while her husband worked in the merchant navy and later for the oil company Socony. After Gerardo’s passing in 1993, Maria returned to Galicia on occasion, this time accompanied by her son. That same year, she relocated to Fort Lee, New Jersey, where she lived with her son, Manuel, and grandson, Robert Garcia, until her passing.

Maria Garcia passed away in Fort Lee, New Jersey, on 15 April 2020, at the age of 111 years, 352 days.

RECOGNITION

On 2 August 2018, following the passing of 111-year-old Helen Turner, she became the oldest (known) living person in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Upon her own passing, she was succeeded by Mary Gibson.

Her age has not been validated.

ATTRIBUTION

* “111 años de vida: la gallega más longeva no vive en Galicia” – La Voz de Galicia, 22 April 2020

* Obituary of Maria Garcia – Frank Patti Funeral Home

GALLERY