Beatriz Ferreira Duarte, the second-oldest living person in Brazil, celebrated her 115th birthday yesterday in Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Pernambuco.

Biography

Beatriz Ferreira Duarte was born in a place called Usina Bulhões, in the rural area of Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Pernambuco, Brazil, on 21 June 1911. She was one of 12 siblings, including 9 sisters and 2 brothers. Her youngest and last surviving sister, Maria José, passed away in 2021 at the age of 95.

She married Amaro Cipriano Duarte, and they remained in Jaboatão dos Guararapes. She dedicated herself entirely to her role as a homemaker and never worked outside the home. Together, they had eight children, but four passed away as newborns, and in 2019 her daughter Maria Auxiliadora passed away at age 70. Her husband passed away in 1990.

She currently has three living daughters, as well as seven grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren. Speaking to Brazil’s g1, Beatriz’s great-granddaughter, Yslla Duarte, said that although her great-grandmother has not been lucid since the age of 107, she is in remarkably good health. “She doesn’t take any medication. She’s very healthy, and all her health indicators are good,” Duarte said.

According to Beatriz’s daughter, Bernardete, the secret to her mother’s longevity lies in the calm and peaceful way she has always lived her life. “She was never someone who panicked. She always stayed calm, no matter the situation. She used to say that we should live for today because tomorrow belongs to God,” Bernardete recalled in an interview with Diário de Pernambuco. A devout Catholic, Beatriz used to say that she reached the age of 100 because she obeyed her parents and remained steadfast in her faith. A healthy diet and life in the countryside during her youth at the site of Macujé, in the rural area of ​​Jaboatão dos Guararapes, are also cited by her family as important factors.

Longevity

Her age was verified by Gabriel Ainsworth, Filipe Lopes, and Stefan Maglov, and validated by LongeviQuest on 12 September 2023.

At the moment, she is the second-oldest living person in Brazil, after Yolanda Beltrão de Azevedo, as well as the sixth-oldest living person in the world.

She is the fifth-oldest validated person ever to have lived in Brazil, and the oldest person ever from the state of Pernambuco.

LongeviQuest extends warm congratulations to Beatriz Ferreira Duarte on her 115th birthday.

(Source: Diario de Pernambuco)

(Source: Diario de Pernambuco)