World's Oldest Woman, Born In SF, Celebrates 117th Birthday

SAN FRANCISCO — A San Francisco-born woman celebrated her 117th birthday on Monday, continuing her reign as the oldest known living person.

As FOX40 reports, Maria Branyas Morera was born on March 4, 1907, just a few months after her parents emigrated to America from Spain. The family would later travel to New Orleans before returning to Catalonia in 1915, where Morera still resides.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, she gained the title of the world's oldest person in 2023 following the death of 118-year-old Lucile Randon in France.

Morera lived through the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 and the Spanish Civil War, and became the world's oldest COVID-19 survivor after contracting the virus in 2020 when she was 113, Guinness said.

Guinness said Morera is in such good health that scientists and researchers are studying her to learn more about aging.

"She has a completely lucid head," Manel Esteller, a scientist, told Spanish outlet ABC. "She remembers with impressive clarity events from when she was only four years old, and she does not present any cardiovascular disease common in elderly people."

Esteller said genetics likely play some role, noting multiple family members that are over 90 years old.

With a nod to luck and good genes, Morera also credits her longevity to "order, tranquility, good connection with family and friends, contact with nature, emotional stability, no worries, no regrets, lots of positivity, and staying away from toxic people."

With help from her daughter, Morera maintains an active social media presence, posting photos from her birthday celebration, sharing tidbits of family history and reflecting on some of her favorite sayings about March. In a post Monday, Morera expressed thanks to birthday well-wishers from across the globe.

According to Guinness, Morera is the 12th oldest verified person in history, and another year would see her climb to fifth place. Jeanne Calment holds the record, having lived 122 years and 164 days.