BIOGRAPHY

María Souto Martínez was born in A Coruña, Galicia, Spain, on 28 March 1915. Her mother died at the age of 36. María and her sister, Remedios, traveled to Uruguay when they were around 7 or 8 years old, under the care of an uncle and aunt. Upon arriving in Montevideo, they began searching for work. During one of these searches, they found themselves in line at the Alpargatas Factory. When the manager saw them, he asked what they were doing there and why they were not attending school. They explained that they needed to work to help support their aunt so they could live with her and be self-sufficient. The manager was moved by their situation and arranged for them to do jobs suitable for their ages.

At some point, she married Fernando Urbín, but they did not have children. After retiring, she found that her income was insufficient, so she requested a pension from the Spanish Embassy, which was granted for a time before being discontinued.

Her greatest support was her faith. She followed the Christian path, attending religious services on Wednesdays and Sundays. These activities kept her positive and healthy. She never visited a doctor. When she was in her 90s, the health insurance company had no medical history on file for her, not even her blood type, as she had never used their services. She was widowed but continued with her life, helping those in need.

As of August 2024, she resided in a nursing home. Her family reported that she was doing well until about two years prior when her mind and memory began to decline. However, her overall health remains good. Her surviving family members are her 83-year-old niece and her 63-year-old grandnephew.

Souto Martínez died on 22 August 2024 in Montevideo, Uruguay at the age of 109 years, 147 days.

RECOGNITION

Her age was verified by Fabrizio Villatoro and Filipe Lopes, with the assistance of her family, and validated by LongeviQuest on 18 August 2024.

ATTRIBUTION

GALLERY