Francisca Celsa dos Santos

	Brazil's Oldest Living Person Titleholders (V • E)
	Anisio Rodrigues Alves • Placida Maria do Livramento • Ana Nogueira de Lucas • Maria Gomes Valentim • Maria Amorim Gularte • Francisca Simao • Luzia Mohrs • Francisca Celsa dos Santos • Antonia da Santa Cruz • Inah Canabarro Lucas

	Francisca Celsa dos Santos
	;
Birth:	21 October 1904; Cascavel, Ceara, Brazil
Death:	5 October 2021; Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil
Age:	116 years, 349 days
Country:	BRA
	Validated

Francisca Celsa dos Santos (21 October 1904 – 5 October 2021) was a Brazilian supercentenarian who was the third-oldest living person in the world whose age has been validated by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG), after Kane Tanaka and Lucile Randon. She is the longest-lived South and Latin American person ever validated by the GRG, surpassing Maria Capovilla of Ecuador just one day before her death.

Biography

Early Life

Francisca Celsa dos Santos was born to Raimundo Gertrudes dos Santos and Maria Antonia do Espirito Santo in Cascavel, Ceara, Brazil. She claimed to have been born on 22 October 1904, but research suggests she was actually born one day earlier.

Celsa dos Santos worked in household chores, and later as a merchant selling lace cloths. At some point before 1935, she married Raimundo Celso (1905–1979). They had six children, three of whom were still living as of 2020. Before the birth of their last child, the couple went to the civil registry office in Pacajus, Ceara to get officially married.

Later Life

Shortly after her husband's death on 4 September 1979, Celsa dos Santos moved to live with her daughter in Messejana, a neighbourhood in Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil. At the age of 85, Celsa dos Santos was diagnosed with a malignant tumor. According to her daughter, the doctors did not expect her to survive, so the family took her out of hospital and decided to treat her with home remedies. Despite the odds, she successfully recovered.

Since 2012, Celsa dos Santos had been unable to walk. As of November 2019, she was cared for by one of her three daughters, Nazete Monteiro (then aged 73), and her granddaughter, Fransilvia. She reportedly did not take any medication and rarely got sick, but was not very lucid. Her health was monitored by her grandson, Dr. Luziney Monteiro.

Francisca Celsa dos Santos died from pneumonia on 5 October 2021 in Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil at the age of 116 years, 349 days (claimed 116 years, 348 days).

Following Celsa dos Santos’ death, Antonia da Santa Cruz became the oldest validated living person in Brazil, as well as the third-oldest living validated person in the world.

Celsa dos Santos was the last known validated person from the Americas who was born in 1904, and was also the second to last surviving validated person born in 1904. After her death, Lucile Randon became the last surviving validated person born in 1904.

Longevity Records

Celsa dos Santos' age was officially validated by the GRG on 9 July 2020, when she was 115 years, 262 days old. At the time, this made her the 25th-oldest person ever validated by the GRG. It also meant that she became the oldest Brazilian person ever documented, retroactive to 4 October 2019 when she surpassed the previous record of 114 years, 347 days set by Maria Gomes Valentim. She entered top-20 oldest validated people ever on 8 December 2020, surpassing the age of Ana Vela-Rubio of 116 years, 47 days.

Celsa dos Santos had been the oldest validated living person in Brazil and South America retroactive to the death of Luzia Mohrs on 16 October 2017. On 4 October 2021, Celsa dos Santos surpassed the final age of Maria Capovilla, becoming the oldest validated South American person ever.

One day later, on 5 October 2021, Francisca Celsa dos Santos died at the age of 116 years, 349 days, just 16 days short of her 117th birthday. She was the oldest known validated person to die in 2021, and was also the oldest known validated person to die in the 2020s decade at the time of her death. She was the oldest validated person to die since the death of Chiyo Miyako on 22 July 2018, and is currently also the oldest person on record to not become world's second-oldest person, due to Kane Tanaka and Lucile Randon.

Gallery

References

Photo Gallery for Supercentenarians born in the year 1904 Gerontology Research Group
GRG World Supercentenarian Rankings List Gerontology Research Group
Las personas más longevas Supercentenarios Latinoamericanos (LAS)
Olha aí a minha vozinha, que hoje tem 108 anos uma dádiva... Fernanda Aliny Celso on Facebook, 17 December 2012
Essa minha vozinha de 108 anos... Fernanda Aliny Celso on Facebook, 25 August 2013
Dia 23/10/15 minha vozinha completou 111 (Cento e onze) anos... Fernanda Aliny Celso on Facebook, 24 October 2015
Olha que gaiatinha minha vozinha toda de tiara! 111 anos inventando coisas! Fernanda Aliny Celso on Facebook, 7 December 2015
Cearense de 115 anos, uma das pessoas mais velhas do mundo, já passou até por “doença sem cura” Portal TV Cariri, 19 November 2019 (via The Wayback Machine)
GRG News announces new Brazil oldest person record Gerontology Research Group, 9 July 2020
Cearense de 115 anos é reconhecida como a pessoa mais velha do Brasil G1, 10 July 2020
Com 115 anos, cearense se torna a pessoa mais velha do Brasil; saiba quem são os supercentenários O Povo, 14 July 2020
Hoje é o aniversário da minha avó, 116 anos, a mais velha do Brasil e a terceira do mundo! Fernanda Aliny Celso on Facebook, 22 October 2020
Morre aos 116 anos cearense reconhecida como a pessoa mais velha do Brasil e 3ª do mundo Diario do Nordeste, 6 October 2021