Paladia Noja, the oldest woman ever in Romania, validated at 110
The Gerontology Research Group (GRG) is delighted to announced that Mrs. Paladia Noja (née Bâldea), the oldest woman ever in Romania, was officially validated by the GRG on 16 April 2026 at the age of 110 years and 270 days.
Paladia Noja was born as Paladia Bâldea in Cugir, Alba County, Austria-Hungary (now Romania), on 20 July 1915, to parents Petru Bâldea (1875–1958) and Maria Bâldea (1879–1948). As a child, she worked in the fields, tended to animals, and helped her family with daily chores. In her youth, she lived three years in Timișoara with two of her siblings. She had two brothers, Ioan Bâldea (1911–1976) and Petru Bâldea (1912–1989), and two sisters Maria Bâldea (1913–1989) and Domnica Bâldea (1917–2000).
On 27 April 1935, at the age of 19, she married Simion Noja (1908–1989), and the couple had four children, sons, Constantin Noja (born 1940), Ioan Noja (1943–2016) and Petru Noja (born 1945), and a daughter Maria Noja (born 1950). She learned tailoring as a young woman but was never formally employed. She made clothes for her four children and sewed for local sheep farmers, who offered milk, cheese, meat, and other foodstuffs in exchange. She also had a large garden with trees, where she grew various vegetables and wheat, from which she made her own flour.
Her husband, Simion Noja, died from a heart attack in 1989, at the age of 81. She continued using her sewing machine well into her centenarian years, and worked in the garden until almost the age of 100.
At the age of 106, she said that her secret of longevity is never smoke and drank alcohol, and always ate in moderation. Her diet was based entirely on traditional foods grown in her own garden. She grew up eating home-cooked meals, fresh vegetables, and dairy products, never indulging in excess.
On 25 November 2023, following the death of 108-year-old Viorica Hogaș of Suceava County, she became the oldest known living woman in Romania.
On 3 July 2025, at the age of 109 years and 348 days, she surpassed the final age of Elena Lungoci (1895–2005) of 109 years and 347 days, becoming the oldest known woman ever to have lived in Romania.
On 20 July 2025, she celebrated her 110th birthday, becoming the first known female supercentenarian ever recorded in Romania.
On 23 January 2026, following the death of 110-year-old Milka Bauković of Serbia, she became the oldest known living woman in the Balkans.
On 16 April 2026, at the age of 110 years and 270 days, her age was validated by the GRG, verified by Leti Balog, Maria Didina Noja, Dejan Vujić, and Mihai Matei.
Paladia Noja currently lives in Cugir, Alba County, Romania, at the age of 110. She is currently the second-oldest living person in Romania, after 112-year-old Ilie Ciocan.
Congratulations to Mrs. Paladia! We wish her a good health and a long life! Also, thanks to all the validators for their meticulous review and inspection of her validation!