Maria Liesse Callou Duarte was born in the State of Ceará, Brazil, on 2 January 1914. At some point, she got married and went on to have eight children.

In January 2021, aged 107, she was vaccinated against COVID-19. At the time, it was reported that she was isolated for 10 months during the pandemic. During isolation, she maintained many of her hobbies, such as filling out crosswords and watching television. At the time, she had 27 grandchildren, 36 great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren.