San Francisco-born Maria Branyas Morera, World's Oldest Person, Passes Away at 117

Maria Branyas Morera, recognized as the world’s oldest person, has died at the remarkable age of 117. 

Born in the US in 1907, this Spanish resident witnessed the tumult of two world wars and two pandemics throughout her extraordinary life, according to her family. 

“Maria Branyas has left us. She died as she wished: in her sleep, peacefully and without pain,” her family wrote on her account on X on Tuesday. “We will always remember her for her advice and her kindness.” 

Banyas, who had lived for the past two decades in the Santa Maria del Tura nursing home in the town of Olot in north-eastern Spain, had said in a post that she felt weak. “The time is near. Don’t cry, I don’t like tears. And above all, don’t suffer for me. Wherever I go, I will be happy,” she said in the post on her account, which is run by her family. 

Morera was born in San Francisco, California, on March 4, 1907, and later moved to Spain with her family while she was still young. 

Morera also reportedly shared that she had "very bad memories" of the Spanish Civil War, which began in 1936 when she was 29 years old. 

In an interview with a Spanish news outlet last November, scientist Manel Esteller remarked on Morera’s exceptional mental sharpness despite her advanced age. 

"Her mind remains remarkably clear," Esteller said. "She can vividly recall events from as early as age four and doesn’t exhibit the common cardiovascular issues seen in many elderly people." 

He also pointed out a potential genetic influence, noting that multiple family members have lived beyond 90 years.