BIOGRAPHY

Olga Rezende Augusto Lousada was born in the district of Pari in the city of São Paulo, on 12 March 1916. She was the daughter of Carolina, an Italian immigrant and homemaker, and João, a Brazilian military man who played the flute in the São Paulo police band. The second-to-last of seven siblings—two boys and five girls—she was affectionately nicknamed Nenê before her name was officially chosen. The nickname stayed with her for life and remained especially dear among her nieces and nephews, who always called her Aunt Nenê.

Olga studied until the fourth grade of elementary school before she had to begin working. She held jobs in a candy factory, an umbrella factory, and later in a sewing workshop—where she discovered her lifelong profession: shirtmaking. Her nephews fondly recalled how she would make Carnival costumes for them by cutting holes for their heads and arms in jute sacks. Though her youth was marked by poverty, it was also filled with joy, close family bonds, music, and warmth. They often listened to the radio together and found happiness in each other’s company.

Drawing from her early work experiences, Olga eventually became self-employed, setting up a small workshop in her home. She invested in a sewing machine, fabric, buttons, a table, scissors, and other tools of the trade. The sound of her machine humming from morning until night became a familiar rhythm in the neighborhood. Her reputation as a skilled shirtmaker spread far beyond her local community—clients from other parishes traveled to Pari just to have shirts made by her. She served businessmen and merchants who favored starched collars and crisp cuffs. Her dedication eventually allowed her to buy the house where she would live for the rest of her life.

Olga later met José, a Portuguese merchant with a fondness for horse betting. They married, and in 1937, she gave birth to a daughter named Mariza. Tragically, when Mariza was still a young child, Olga received a telegram one night informing her of José’s death. After losing everything to gambling, he had taken his own life with a firearm in the city of Aparecida do Norte.

Even after her husband’s passing, Olga remained devoted to her work and the care of her daughter. She never remarried. As the years went by, her daughter Mariza grew up and married Marcos, with whom she had three children: Marcos, born in 1968; Fábio, born in 1970; and Carolina, born in 1984.

In 1987, her daughter Mariza became a widow. Marcos passed away due to complications from alcoholism, leaving her to raise their three children alone—two teenage boys and a three-year-old girl. Just a few years later, in 1990, Mariza and her children moved into Olga’s home when Mariza fell seriously ill. Doctors discovered a benign brain tumor that required two surgeries. Following the second operation, Mariza returned home with paralysis on the right side of her body and impaired speech. At 75 years old, Olga took on the immense responsibility of caring for her bedridden daughter while also stepping in as the guardian of her granddaughter Carolina, then just seven years old, and supporting her two grandsons, who were young adults at the time.

Olga cared for her daughter for seven years, until Mariza passed away in 1997. Despite the personal losses and challenges, Olga remained the unwavering pillar of her family. She worked tirelessly to support her grandchildren. When Carolina was a child, Olga secured a scholarship for her at a private school through the help of the school’s nuns. Years later, she also negotiated a significant tuition discount for Carolina’s college education. She extended the same support to Fábio during his job search.

In her later years, Olga embraced the hobbies she had always loved. She had a deep affection for music—especially tango—and enjoyed playing the piano. In retirement, she often sat at the piano in the afternoons to practice between preparing dinner for her grandchildren. She found joy in simple routines: cooking while listening to her favorite tango CDs, doing light exercise, sewing for pleasure, and even taking a bus trip to Buenos Aires, as she had a fear of flying.

RECOGNITION

Her age was verified by Iara Souza and Gabriel Ainsworth, and validated by LongeviQuest on 10 May 2025.

ATTRIBUTION

GALLERY