World's Oldest Person Maria de Jesus Dies At Age 115

World's Oldest Person Maria de Jesus Dies At Age 115

Maria de Jesus of Portugal died on Friday at the age of 115 in Portugal. According to her daughter, de Jesus never "fell ill, nor took any medication."

From the AFP:

Born September 10, 1893, Maria de Jesus became the world's oldest living person after the death of American Edna Parker on November 26, also aged 115.

A family member told the Lusa news agency that de Jesus died "just after 10:00 am (GMT) while en route to hospital.

De Jesus was born in a poor area in Urquiera, close to Ourem in central Portugal. She started working in agriculture at the age of 12 and never went to school, remaining unable to write and read for her entire life.

The world's oldest person is now American Gertrude Baines, who was born April 6, 1894. See a video of Baines voting for Barack Obama in November.

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