Maria Branyas Morera, the world’s oldest person, has died at the age of 117. She passed on in her sleep in a nursing home known as Residencia Santa Maria del Tura, in Olot, Spain, on August 19, 2024, as announced by her family on social media.
Morera was born on March 4, 1907 in San Francisco and her life was a living testimony of one hundred years. She migrated to Spain in her childhood and spent her last 20 years in the nursing home, where she frequently reminisced. Late in her life, she told her family that she was preparing for her death, saying, “One day I will leave here. I will not try coffee again, nor eat yogurt, nor pet my dog. I will also leave my memories, my reflections and I will cease to exist in this body. One day, I don't know, but it's very close, this long journey will be over.”
Morera succeeded Lucile Racon, known as Sister André, who died at the age of 118 in January 2023. Her long life span was the reason the medical practitioners focused on her genetics and her lifestyle. They discovered that Morera had very low blood fat and sugar levels and her cells had a slower rate of ageing than others which are some reasons why she lived such long a life.
Her death brings the title of the oldest person in the world to 116-year-old Tomiko Itooka, born on May 23, 1908 in Japan. Morera’s life and work will remain fascinating to many people because of the longevity phenomenon and the unknowns of the ageing process.
In her old age, Morera was able to give out her life lessons, the main of which was to embrace the family and cherish memories. Many people could relate with her as she aged gracefully, embracing the fact that ageing is not all honey and jam. She said that although her physical life would be over, the memories and reflections would be there.
