World’s oldest living person celebrates 116th birthday
Ethel Caterham of Lightwater, Surrey, England, is celebrating her 116th birthday today. She is the oldest known and validated living person in the United Kingdom, Europe and the World, being the last known person born in the 1900’s decade. Ethel received the title of ‘World’s Oldest Living Person’ in April this year on the passing of 116 year old Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas. Ethel is also the oldest person in the history of the United Kingdom, surpassing the previous record set by Charlotte Hughes in 1993 and the first person from the United Kingdom to reach the age of 116. The GRG extends it’s warmest congratulations to Mrs Caterham…
Shigeko Kagawa has officially become the oldest living Japanese person at 114
The Gerontology Research Group (GRG) is pleased to announce that Mrs. Shigeko Kagawa (賀川滋子) of Nara Prefecture, has officially became the oldest living person in Japan at 114 years, 62 days of age, after the death of Miyoko Hiroyasu of Oita Prefecture on 29 July 2025. Shigeko Kagawa was born in Japan on 28 May 1911 (Meiji 44). She was on-site at the 1970 Osaka Expo to respond to emergencies. Even after turning 80, she still continued to work in the community as an obstetrician-gynecologist and physician. In April 2021, aged 109 (almost 110), Kagawa became the oldest Olympic torchbearer ever. The previous record holder was Aida Mendes (1909–2020), who was 106…
Miyoko Hiroyasu, the oldest living person in Japan, dies at 114
The Gerontology Research Group (GRG) is saddened to report the death of Mrs. Miyoko Hiroyasu (広安美代子), the oldest living person in Japan, sadly died in Nakatsu, Oita Prefecture, Japan on 29 July 2025 at the age of 114 years, 187 days. Miyoko Hiroyasu was born in Nakatsu, Oita Prefecture, Japan on 23 January 1911 (Meiji 44). She was the class president at her elementary school. She attended an all-girls high school and later studied art at a school in Tokyo. During this time she lived with her uncle, aunt, and grandmother. She married a man she had met while working in Hiroshima, and later worked as an art teacher at a girls school in Hiroshima Prefecture. In…
Bonita Gibson (USA) celebrates 114th birthday
The Gerontology Research Group is delighted to report that Mrs. Bonita Gibson – the oldest living person in US state of Michigan – has celebrated her 114th birthday. Bonita Gibson was born in Hoxie, Sheridan County, Kansas, USA on 4 July 1911 to parents John Franklin and Ella Mabel (Miller) Spear. She had an older brother, Daryl. Bonita Gibson’s age was verified by Waclaw Jan Kroczek, Oliver Trim, and Robert Young, and validated by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) on 4 May 2023, two months before her 112th birthday. Her life has been marked by significant historical events and personal experiences: Gibson recalls living through the Spanish Flu Pandemic, with one of…
María Concepción Bravo Chávez (1913-2025)
The Gerontology Research Group has received private notice of the passing of María Concepción Bravo Chávez of Mexico. She was born to a single mother in Uruapan, Michoacan, Mexico on April 1 1913. Her parents went on to marry, but both died in the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1917. After this, María Concepción was taken in by an aunt and uncle. She went on to marry and have seven children. In later years she lived with her daughters and reportedly enjoyed remarkable health, even as a centenarian. María Concepción credited her long life to a natural diet and helping others with no expectation of any return. She passed away in…