Gregoria Benito Roriguez
- Full name: Gregoria Benito Rodriguez
- Lifespan: 04.01.1905 – 19.06.2015
- Age: 110 years, 196 days
- Birthplace: Peñaparda, Salamanca, Castile and Leon, Spain
- Last residence: Peñaparda, Salamanca, Castile and Leon, Spain
- Application date: 04.01.2015
- Validation date: 03.03.2020
- Validation source: Miguel Quesada/Emilio Ibanez
Biography
Gregoria Benito Rodríguez was born in Peñaparda, Salamanca, Castile and Leon, Spain, on 4 January 1905. She spoke the El Rebollar dialect of the Leonese language, while also being fluent in Spanish. She spent some time living in France in the 1930s, but moved back to her hometown after four years, and as such could speak some French. She married and had three children. She was well known in her community for her skills on the adufe, a square-shaped tambourine commonly heard in her town’s folk music. She was friends with Dionisia Mateos Morales (1906-2014), another adufe player from her town with whom she often played music with before her death at the age of 107. As was typical of women from El Rebollar, she dressed in black, and wore a matching headscarf and two gold earrings.
At the age of 110, she was still living on her own in her home, but received some help from caretakers and her children. Her vision and hearing were both poor in her later years, but she maintained her independence even as a supercentenarian despite her health declining somewhat.
Gregoria Benito Rodríguez died in her hometown of Peñaparda on 19 July 2015, at the age of 110 years, 196 days.
Validation
Gregoria Benito Rodriguez age was verified by Miguel Quesada together with Emilio Ibanez and validated by the GRG on March 3rd.
Gregoria at the age of 109.
Aged 100.
