Ramona Trinidad Iglesias Jordan was born on 1 September 1889 in Utuado, Puerto Rico, during the time when the island was under the control of Spain. She was the eldest of 11 siblings born to parents Eduardo Iglesias Ortiz (1854-1924) and Luisa Jordan Correa (1860-1897). Her brother, Francisco (1891-1991), lived to the age of 100, and her sisters, María Concepción (1894-1996) and Isabel (1910-2016) lived to the ages of 101 and 106, respectively.
In 1912, she married Alfonso Alonzo Soler (1888-1975), who worked as a bank manager in the 1940s and 50s. They were married for over 62 years before his death in 1975. The couple had no biological children, but adopted Roberto Torres Iglesias (1919-2009), who was aged 85 at the time of his adoptive mother’s death.
Ramona Trinidad Iglesias Jordan died of pneumonia in her nursing home in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico on 29 May 2004, at the age of 114 years, 271 days. She had been hospitalized for a few days prior, and passed away after being discharged.
Iglesias Jordan was recognized by Guinness World Records as the oldest living person in March 2004, and would hold the title for the next few months.
* “Ramona Trinidad Iglesias-Jordan, 114; Oldest Person in the world” – Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2004