BIOGRAPHY

Rosalba Castro Bello was born in the neighborhood of Salamanca in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, on 15 February 1907. Her given Christian name was Rosalia, but she was always called Rosalba. She was the third of seven siblings and the last surviving one. Born in her parents’ home, she was the daughter of a merchant and a homemaker. She completed elementary school and devoted her entire life to supporting her family. She first cared for her younger siblings, then for her nephews and nieces, while also assisting in her father’s tailoring shop, which was later passed down to one of her brothers.

Despite having three partners, none of them met her parents’ approval, so Rosalba never married. However, she played a significant role in raising her nieces and nephews, whom she cared for, educated, and took to play in the capital’s parks, always accompanied by her sister Concepción.

Her hobbies included sewing, a craft to which she dedicated many years, particularly during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) and the postwar period. Like many women in Santa Cruz, she worked at the Patriotic Workshop, where they sewed shirts and pants for Canarian soldiers fighting on the front lines. She described the postwar years as “horrible,” recalling, among other hardships, the severe lack of food.

She was a lifelong soccer fan and a passionate supporter of Club Deportivo Tenerife. Her brother, Miguel Ángel Castro Bello, served as the team’s manager.

According to her nephew, Joaquín Castro, Rosalba was “very active” in her youth. She was always on the move, walking from one place to another—and she never took public transportation, not even to return home.

Rosalba Castro Bello passed away on 17 July 2017, at the age of 110 years, 152 days.

RECOGNITION

In February 2017, she celebrated her 110th birthday, becoming the first documented supercentenarian in the autonomous community of Canary Islands.

Her age has not been validated.

ATTRIBUTION

* “La abuela de la capital cumple 105 años” – Diario de Avisos, 19 February 2012

* “La abuela de la capital” – La Opinión de Tenerife, 31 December 2012

* “Rosalba Castro Bello – Por Joaquín Castro San Luis” – Diario de Avisos, 30 April 2015

* “La abuela de Canarias cumple 110 años” – Diario de Avisos, 19 March 2017

GALLERY