Branyas, who had been residing in the Santa Maria del Tura nursing home in Olot, Catalonia, had lived through various historical events, including two World Wars, the Spanish Civil War, and the 1918 flu pandemic.Her resilience made her famous on an international level, with Guinness World Records officially naming her the world’s oldest person in January 2023 after the death of French nun Lucile Randon who passed away at the age of 118.
Maria’s family wrote on social media platform X, “Maria Branyas has left us. She died as she wished: in her sleep, peacefully and without pain. We will always remember her for her advice and her kindness.”
Before her death, Branyas shared on social media that she felt frail and accepted what was coming. “The time is near. Don’t cry, I don’t like tears. And above all, don’t suffer for me. Wherever I go, I will be happy,” she had posted, with the account managed by her family.
Her daughter, Rosa Moret, attributed her mother’s long life to “genetics”, noting that Branyas had never broken a bone or experienced significant pain throughout her life.
Catalonia’s regional head, Salvador Illa, extended his heartfelt condolences, “We lost an endearing woman, who has taught us the value of life and the wisdom of the years,” he said, honouring her as “Catalonia’s grandmother.”
Born in San Francisco, Branyas’s family moved back to Spain in 1915, but her father died of tuberculosis during the journey. She married a doctor in 1931 and lived with him for four decades until his death.
In a 2019 interview, Branyas said, “I haven’t done anything extraordinary, the only thing I did was live.”
Manel Esteller, a researcher from the University of Barcelona, was astounded by her good health and strong memory. “Her mind is completely lucid. She remembers with impressive clarity episodes from when she was only four years old,” Esteller said.
Branyas’s passing leaves Japan’s Tomiko Itooka as the world’s oldest living person. Itooka was born on May 23, 1908. The record for the longest-lived person remains with Jeanne Louise Calment from France, who lived 122 years and 164 days.
Source Agencies
