San Francisco-born woman, 115, becomes world’s oldest person

She describes herself as ‘old, very old but not an idiot’.

And now San Francisco-born Maria Branyas Morera can officially call herself the world’s oldest person, having survived two world wars, two pandemics and one civil war.

The 115-year-old received the title following the death of 118-year-old French nun Sister André earlier this month.

Morera was born in San Francisco in 1907, though she moved to Catalonia, Spain, as a child and spent the last 22 years of her life in a nursing home there.

At the time of his birth, San Francisco was suffering from a second wave of the bubonic plague.

She is now considered a ‘supercentenarian’, a title given to people once they pass the age of 110.

Morera, who has three children, 11 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren, attributes her old age to “order, tranquility” and “getting away from toxic people.”

And despite her age, she is active on social media and frequently posts on Twitter with the help of her daughter. She is also a great pianist.

Marero, pictured on her wedding day in 1931 at age 24, has survived two world wars, a civil war and two pandemics.

In response to his record age, he wrote on the microblogging site: “Sorry for not responding individually.

‘I am surprised and grateful for the expectation that comes from being the world’s oldest living person.

‘Thank you very much to everyone for the interest shown, although I have not done any merit. These days have been very overwhelming.

Marero posts frequently on Twitter. He in the photo with his mother in 1922 when he was 15 years old.

He added that he would not respond to further interview requests from journalists, adding that he needed “peace and quiet.”

After surviving both World Wars, the Spanish Civil War and the Spanish flu pandemic, Marero also successfully fought after Covid-19 after becoming infected in 2020.

He contracted the virus weeks after celebrating his 113th birthday, though he recovered within days.

Marero became the world’s oldest living person after the death of a French nun, Sister André, earlier this month. Both survived a Covid-19 attack

It made her the world’s oldest Covid-19 survivor, but that record was broken by Sister André later that year.

Marero married a Catalan doctor named Joan Moret in 1931.

The day was eventful, Marero recalled on Twitter, as they waited for hours for the priest who they later learned had died unexpectedly.

She said: ‘There was no phone. A car had to go down to Girona to look for an available chaplain.

“At that time, in the entire province of Girona there must have been around 50 cars.”

Her husband died over 46 years ago when she was 71.

Morera now lives in a nursing home in Catalonia, Spain, where they plan to hold a small private celebration to celebrate their new record.

She wrote on their anniversary that “I will always carry him in my heart every day.”

On New Year’s Day this year, he posted: ‘Life is not eternal for anyone…At my age, a new year is a gift, a humble celebration, a new adventure, a beautiful journey, a moment of happiness. Let’s enjoy life together.

Morera’s nursing home, Residencia Santa María del Tura, told the Guinness Book of World Records that they would host a “little closed-door celebration” to commemorate the achievement.

The title of the oldest person who ever lived belongs to Jeanne Louise Calment, whose life lasted 122 years and 164 days, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.