María Capovilla
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María Esther de Capovilla of Guayaquil, Ecuador (September 14, 1889 – August 27, 2006) was named the "World's Oldest Person" by Guinness World Records on December 9, 2005. Her claim as the oldest living supercentenarian was verified and, thus, superseded both Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper (thought to be world's oldest person from May 29, 2004 to August 30, 2005) and Elizabeth Bolden (thought to be world's oldest person from August 30, 2005 to December 9, 2005). Guinness noted that "María Esther de Capovilla has beaten the odds -- not only to live past 116, but to have the records to prove it." A Guinness spokesman, Sam Knights, added in a telephone interview from London that "while a lot of the time it's difficult for people to prove their age, there was no problem with any of the documents we were shown" in Mrs Capovilla's case.[1] She was finally added to the Guinness website on April 12, 2006. At her death in August 2006, she was 116 years and 347 days old.
Biography
Born as María Ester Heredia Lecaro in Guayaquil, María was the daughter of a colonel, and lived a life among the upper-class elite, attending social functions and art classes. She never smoked or drank hard liquor. In 1917, she married a military officer, Antonio Capovilla, who died in 1949. Antonio, an ethnic Italian, was born in Pola, Austria-Hungary (now Pula, Croatia) in 1864. He moved to Chile in 1894 and then to Ecuador in 1910. After his first wife died, he married María. They had five children, three of whom were still living at her passing (the oldest two have died): Hilda, 81; Irma, 80; and son Anibal, 78. She also had eleven grandchildren, twenty great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren.[2]
At age 100, María nearly died and was given last rites, but had been free of health problems since then. As recently as December 2005 Maria was said to be in good health and able to watch TV, read the papers and walk without the aid of a stick (though she is helped by an aide). However, she was unable physically to leave her home in the past two years, which she shared with her eldest surviving daughter, Hilda, and her son-in-law. In a media interview, María stated her dislike of the fact that women nowadays are permitted to court men, rather than the reverse. She is the 5th-oldest fully documented and officially validated person to have ever lived (sixth if the questionable case of Shigechiyo Izumi is counted) and was the last recognized surviving person of the 1880s.
By March 2006, María's health had declined somewhat, and she was no longer able to read the newspaper. She had also nearly stopped talking and no longer walked except when helped by two persons. Still, María was able to sit erect in her chair and fan herself, and had been doing 'fine' until a bout of pneumonia in the last week of August.
Death and succession
María died on August 27, 2006 from a bout of pneumonia, aged 116 years and 347 days. The likely successor is presumed to be Elizabeth Bolden, the previous titleholder. If so, Mrs Bolden would become only the second person to re-gain the title after losing it (Jeanne Calment was the first). Maria's death means that there are probably no longer any people alive born during the 1880s.
See also
References
- guinnessworldrecords.com
- The word from the world's oldest person (with photo)
- 116-Year-Old Ecuadorean Woman is Oldest Living Person
- World's Oldest Woman dies at 116
- Ecuadoran woman who once drank donkey milk is now world's oldest (with family photo)
- Ecuadorean woman, 116, is world's oldest (story notes Mrs Capovilla walks with assistance, not unaided)
