BIOGRAPHY

Teófila Gutiérrez Jiménez was born in Toledo, Castilla–La Mancha, Spain, on 28 December 1907. Santos, her father, was one of the soldiers who defended the Spanish Empire in the Philippines during the Siege of Baler (1898–1899). At some point, he was presumed dead. Before leaving for the front, Santos had been in a relationship with María, Teófila’s mother. Believing he would never return, María eventually met another man, and they became engaged. However, just as she was preparing for her wedding, Santos unexpectedly returned to his hometown of Consuegra. María left her fiancé and reunited with Santos. They married and had five children, with Teófila being the fourth.

At some point, she married Elviro Lomas Roco. They had five children: Saturnino, Alejandro, María José, Elvira, and Joaquina. By the time she was 110, her family grew to include 13 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren. At the beginning of their marriage, they lived in the Sierra del Oso, where he worked as a guard. She would travel to Consuegra on a donkey to give birth, then return to the countryside. According to her daughter, during her third pregnancy, she nearly died due to the jolting of the animal.

When the Spanish Civil War broke out, Elviro was sent to the front in Badajoz. Desperate and without any news of her husband, she one day packed a backpack, took two of her children, and set out on foot to find him. She eventually located him, and for a time, they lived in abandoned train carriages. She was widowed in 1989.

Her mother lived to be 100.

Teófila Gutiérrez Jiménez passed away in Toledo, Castilla–La Mancha, on 15 November 2018, at the age of 110 years, 322 days.

RECOGNITION

On 9 July 2017, following the passing of 110-year-old Teresa Gayarre Ripalda, she became the oldest living person in the autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha.

Her age has not been validated.

ATTRIBUTION

* “La abuela de Consuegra alcanza ya los 110 años de edad” – ABC Toledo, 28 December 2017

* “La mujer que venció al tiempo” – ABC Toledo, 5 February 2018

* “Fallece a los 110 años la mujer más longeva de Castilla-La Mancha” – ABC Toledo, 16 November 2018

GALLERY