Martina Martinez Franco | |
Birth: | 23 February 1907 Paita, Piura, Peru |
Death: | 5 March 2017 Lima, Peru |
Age: | 110 years, 10 days |
Country: | PER |
Validated |
Martina Martinez Franco [Spanish: Martínez] (23 February 1907 – 5 March 2017) was a Peruvian supercentenarian whose age is validated by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) in 2021.
Biography[]
Martina Martinez Franco was born in Paita, Piura, Peru on 23 February 1907. Her parents were Francisco Martinez Gomez, a cabinetmaker by profession, and Rosa Franco Silva. When she was 3 years old, her mother died, after which she was left in the care of her maternal grandmother, Manonga Silva, together with her older half-brother, Genaro Agurto Silva. When she was around 7, she moved back in with her father, who was now in a relationship with a woman named Mercedes Palacios, who would later take care of her as if she were her own daughter.
At some point in her life, she married Santos Olaya, native of La Huaca. Her husband resided in Sullana because of his work, so Martina had to travel a lot with her daughters. In Paita, she dedicated herself to the business of buying and reselling products such as coal and firewood.
When her daughters finished their secondary studies at the Colegio San Francisco, she sent them to Lima to pursue higher studies. In 1960, she herself decided to move to Lima, along with her niece, Manuela Zapata Martínez, barely 6 years old, daughter of her sister Mercedes.
In Lima, she dedicated herself entirely to supporting young people from Paita who wanted to study or work. Some of the people she helped to later named her “Madre Paiteña Lima-Callao” (English: “Mother Paiteña Lima-Callao”). Until a certain age, she traveled continuously to Paita to visit family and friends.
In February 2017, she celebrated her 110th birthday and became a supercentenarian.
Martina Martinez Franco died in Lima, Peru on 5 March 2017 at the age of 110 years, 10 days.
References[]
- HOMENAJE A LA PAITEÑA DEL SIGLO XX Y XXI EN SU ONOMÁSTICO AL CUMPLIR 110 AÑOS Facebook Post, 5 March 2017