Virgilio Davalos Rey, Paraguay’s oldest living person celebrated his 110th birthday
The Gerontology Research Group is pleased to announce that Mr. Virgilio Dávalos Rey, the oldest living person in Paraguay, and one of the last surviving veterans of the Chaco War (1932–1935), celebrated his 110th birthday in Coronel Oviedo, Caaguazu Department, Paraguay on 8 October 2024.
Virgilio Dávalos Rey was born in the rural town of Plácido, on the outskirts of Coronel Oviedo, Caaguazu Department, Paraguay on 8 October 1914. He was the fourth of six children born to parents Remigio Dávalos and Lorenza Rey.
At an early age, during the Chaco War (1932–1935), he applied to serve as a soldier in the War Intendancy, where he was responsible for providing logistics for the front lines, including uniforms, ammunition, medicines, and weapons. He was later assigned to the Navy, where he sailed the Pilcomayo River to conduct inspections in the conflict-ridden region. Later, he served in the Infantry Regiment No. 10 “Sauce.” The regiment’s objective was to block the advance of the Bolivians toward Fort Alihuatá.
At some point, he married Teresa Lopez de Davalos, with whom he had six daughters: Tomasa, Nimia, Francisca, Apolonia, Dominga, and Sara. After the war, he settled in his native Plácido, where he focused on trading local fruits, tobacco, petitgrain essence, and buying and selling cattle, among other activities.
On his 107th birthday in 2021, members of a reserve corps serenaded him with a band, playing marches and patriotic songs, as well as singing the traditional birthday song “Happy Birthday.” He was presented with a certificate of gratitude and recognition. Meanwhile, the governor of Caaguazú, Alejo Ríos Medina (PLRA), who also came to greet him, gifted him an Olimpia t-shirt, honoring the club of which he is a fan. In July 2024, the Chamber of Deputies decided to award him the National Order of Merit “Comuneros.”
On 22 July 2022, following the death of 109-year-old Basilio Gonzalez, he became the oldest living Chaco War veteran and the oldest living man in Paraguay.