Ana Rita Nogueira was born on a farm in Pouso Alto, Minas Gerais, on 21 June 1896, to parents Paulino Vito Nogueira and Mathilde Luiza Gonçalves. She had seven siblings, and her father worked as the director of the local school. When Ana was 13, her mother died, so she took care of her younger siblings. In order to improve their educational opportunities, her father sent her and her siblings to live with a relative in the municipality of Carmo de Minas; Ana would remain there for three years to complete her studies, before returning to her family’s farm.

On 17 January 1917, she married a dentist named Egydio de Luca, and would have 12 children with her husband. The couple would remain together for nearly 60 years before Egydio’s death in 1976.

At the age of 98, she fell and broke her leg, but following surgery and physical therapy, she was able to regain the ability to walk for many years after. By the time she was 111, however, her mobility was much more limited, and she suffered from hearing loss.

Ana Nogueira died of cardiac arrest on 18 November 1910, at the age of 114 years, 150 days. She was survived by five children, 28 grandchildren, 48 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great-grandchild.