LongeviQuest is deeply saddened to announce the passing of Mrs. Matilda D’Souza, who held the distinction of being India’s oldest known living resident. According to an article published by O Heraldo, she passed away on 17 September, at the final age of 111 years, 327 days.

Mrs. D’Souza was born in Calangute, Goa, India, on 25 October 1911. She married at the age of 19 and had four children. Sadly, her husband passed away approximately 20 years after their marriage. Following his passing, she lived in London for a period, where some of her descendants resided. In 1973, she assumed the role of the founding president of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SSVP) in Calangute, an organization dedicated to providing medical care to the poor.

Mrs. D’Souza was India’s oldest living person whose age had been successfully validated with documentation, and she was the second supercentenarian overall to pass away in India.

LongeviQuest is extending our deepest condolences to the bereaved family and friends of Mrs. D’Souza.

For more information, please view Matilda D’Souza’s Directory Profile here.

LongeviQuest has validated the age claim for Lourdina Conceição Lobo (1908-2021) of India.  Mrs. Lobo’s posthumous recognition makes her the first ever validated Indian supercentenarian, and she was likely one of the longest-lived people in the history of India.

Photo sourced from The Herald Goa (heraldgoa.in)

Mrs. Lobo was born in the current state of Goa, at the time a Portuguese colony.  She lived most in her life in Goa, aside from a period spent living in Bombay (Mumbai) after getting married in 1944.  She gave birth to her first child at the age of 37, and would later have three more children.  Despite being diagnosed with diabetes at a young age, Mrs. Lobo lived an active life until well into her 90s.  She spoke four languages: Konkani, English, Latin, and Portuguese.  At the time of her death, she had many close family members living nearby including a sister in her 90s and at least one great-grandchild.

While two prior validated supercentenarians had been born in India under the British Raj, Mrs. Lobo was the first validated supercentenarian to live most of her life and pass away in India.

Mrs. Lobo’s age was validated by LongeviQuest on 20 January 2023 based on the research of Jeffrey Xu.