Maria Esther de Capovilla - officially the world's oldest woman - has died in Ecuador aged 116, relatives said.
Her funeral was planned for
Monday.
Born in 1889, the same year as Charlie Chaplin and Adolf
Hitler, Capovilla was 22 when the Titanic sank and 79 when astronauts
first set foot on the Moon.
Her family said donkey milk might be key to her longevity.
Capovilla was born in Guayaquil, to a well-to-do Ecuadorean family which traced its ancestry to the Spanish conquistadores.
She was said to enjoy painting, embroidery, dancing and
walking. In her youth she would also drink fresh milk from the donkeys
at her aunt's farm - something relatives credit with helping her live
so long.
She is said never to have smoked, ate regular small meals, and only drank in moderation.
She was also fervently religious, and took communion every Friday, said reports.
'Good health'
She married Antonio Capovilla, an Austrian sailor, in 1917, and was widowed in 1949.
SHE LEAVES BEHIDE
They had five children, three of whom are still alive,
and
11 grandchildren,
20 great-grandchildren
two
great-great-grandchildren.
The oldest man is 115, and the oldest person ever to
have lived is documented as Frenchwoman Jeanne Louise Calment, who died
in 1997 aged 122. 62305838957.9929976852
