BIOGRAPHY

Ynés María de Jesús Garay was born in the Rincón neighborhood of Cayey, Puerto Rico, on 20 April 1915 to parents Eugenio De Jesús Cartagena and Juana Garay Tirado. At the age of 10, her family moved to the Pasto Viejo neighborhood, where she spent her adolescent years. She left school in the third grade, and began working in tobacco farming – then a booming industry in Puerto Rico – at the age of 13. She learned to sew from her mother, and earned an additional income from sewing and selling both clothing and ragdolls.

After her first marriage ended in divorce, she married Domingo Colón Ortiz in 1939. The couple would have 11 children together, and both earned a living working in a factory, where their job was to strip tobacco leaves. The family owned a farm, where they would grow crops such as sweet potato, avocado, and corn, and owned livestock which included cows, pigs, and goats. Her husband died in 1983, after 44 years of marriage.

In addition to her 13 children, she has 57 grandchildren, 107 great-grandchildren, 65 great-great-grandchildren, and two great-great-great-grandchildren, totaling 244 descendants. According to her family, her Christian faith is an integral part of her life, and always prays every night before bed.

RECOGNITION

Her age was verified by Stefan Maglov and Filipe Lopes, and was validated by LongeviQuest on 9 May 2024.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Una madre ejemplar a los 107 años de edad” – Primera Hora, 7 May 2022
* 108th birthday – Conociendo a Puerto Rico/Facebook, 20 April 2023
* 109th birthday – Conociendo a Puerto Rico/Facebook, 20 April 2024

GALLERY