BIOGRAPHY

Obdulia Carpena was born in Yecla, Murcia, Spain, on 29 November 1910, to parents Emigdio and Ángeles. She had one sister, Eutropia, who was four years younger. The two sisters grew up helping their father in his tailoring business, where she learned the trade from him, a skill she practiced until her retirement. When she was 14, her mother died at the age of 45.

In 1932, she married Miguel Crespo Díaz, who was also a tailor and dressmaker. In 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, militiamen entered her home and took her husband away, saying they were going to “take him for a walk.” She never heard from him again. After becoming a widow, she returned to her hometown and continued her work as a tailor. In addition to tailoring, she also cleaned the summer cinema on San José Street and occasionally worked in the Cazadores cloakroom on New Year’s Eve. Although she never had children and never remarried, she devoted herself to helping her sister care for her three nephews.

During her adult life, she had a deep love for cinema, never missing a single showing at the Regio Cinema and often bringing her nephew, Ángel, with her. In her late 90s, she moved into the Yecla Nursing Home. She claimed to have no secrets for her longevity, attributing it simply to taking care of herself and enjoying everything with a good appetite. She also mentioned that she was always very active and enjoyed going out for walks.

Obdulia Carpena passed away in Yecla, Murcia, Spain, on 19 June 2023, at the age of 112 years, 202 days.

RECOGNITION

At the time of her passing, she was the third-oldest living person in Spain, behind María Branyas Morera and Silveria Martín Díaz. She was the oldest living person in the region of Murcia and the second-oldest person ever to have lived there, following María del Carmen López (1883–1997).

Her age has not been validated.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Obdulia Carpena Gascón cumple 105 años” – El Periódico de Yecla, 30 November 2015

* “Obdulia cumple 106 años llena de energía” – El Periódico de Yecla, 29 September 2016

* “La mujer más longeva de la Región (107 años) es yeclana” – Siete Días Yecla, 13 March 2018

* “La abuela de la Región cumple 109 años en Yecla” – La Opinión de Murcia, 29 November 2019

* “Fallece Obdulia Carpena, la mujer más longeva de la Región de Murcia, a los 112 años de edad” – La Verdad, 20 June 2023

GALLERY