Puerto Rican Supercentenarians

Centenarian: 100 candles on your birthday cake.
Supercentenarian: Add a decade.
 How does one get to be a century young? Meet three Puerto Ricans - Emilio Flores Marquez, Antonia Gerena Rivera, and Emiliano Mercado del Toro – who lived well past the milestone and were more than happy to share their secrets. Turns out, there’s no one-size-fits-all, but love is the common thread.

Centenario: 100 velas en tu bizcocho de cumpleaños.
Supercentenario: Añadir una década.
¿Cómo se llega a tener un siglo de juventud? Conozca a tres puertorriqueños, Emilio Flores Márquez, Antonia Gerena Rivera y Emiliano Mercado del Toro, que vivieron mucho más allá del hito y estaban más que felices de compartir sus secretos. Resulta que no hay una formula para todos, pero el amor es el hilo común.

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Transcript

Nancy: If you reach your 100th birthday, you are now a centenarian.
If you live several years past that, you become a “supercentenarian.” Typically you gotta be at least 110 for that designation. For every 1000 centenarians, 1 will become a supercentenarian. 
On August 8 we posted about a supercentenarian gentleman named Emilio Flores Marquez, who made it into the Guiness Book of World Records in the summer of 2021 for being the oldest living male on Earth starting on May 28, 2020 (it took a while to verify). 
Don Millo, as he was called, was the inspiration for this episode. We wanted to learn a little more about his life, and also find out who the oldest Puerto Rican female was. Maybe we could get their secrets to a long life and see what we can apply to our own lives.
Don Millo was born on August 8, 1908. Little side note: if you like numerology, or are Chinese or know someone who is Chinese, it may interest you to note that he was born on the 8th day of the 8th month in the 8th year of the 20th century. The number 8 is the luckiest number in Chinese culture because it is associated with wealth. But I digress…

He was born in Carolina, which is in the San Juan area.  His parents were Alberto Flores Melendez and Margarita Márquez-Garcia. His childhood and family life were just like many others on the island during the first half of the century. He was one of 11 kids. He became the oldest of the bunch when the first born, his sister Maria, died as a child. His dad pulled him out of school in 3rd grade, so around age 8, to work with him on a sugarcane farm. He also had to help take care of all his younger siblings. But he liked to study, and for the rest of his life he deeply regretted not finishing his education because he loved to learn. He enjoyed writing and reading, especially newspapers and the Bible. Unlike many people, he loved math too! He also liked to sing, and he liked politics.  I just realized he was born only 10 years after the Spanish American War when the US gained control of PR! They weren’t even American citizens then. He saw A LOT of stuff! Anyway, back to his life. Don Millo followed in his father’s footsteps and became a farmer.

In 1935, at age 27, he married a girl named Andrea Pérez De Flores. She was between 7 and 10 years younger, depending on what news article you read. But remember these were very different times, my friends. This was not considered scandalous or illegal. The couple went on to have four children (two of whom he outlived), five grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren, and were together until she passed away in 2010 at the age of 92 (or 2011 at 95?)! Either way that’s at least 75 years of marriage!

At some point in his younger life, he moved to the United States (just like countless other Puerto Rican families, including ours.). He was looking to make more money and provide a better life for his family. He lived in New Jersey and in Chicago, and had various jobs including working in a laundromat, picking fruit, and in an ice factory. But then something happened in his family – not sure what as it was not elaborated on - that made him return to Puerto Rico and he stayed there for good. He went back to farming.

At age 103, he had a pacemaker implanted. Unfortunately, after this procedure he lost most of his hearing, but in general he remained strong and in good health.  At age 108, he survived an intestinal obstruction.

One of his daughters was interviewed and she said that her dad taught them to never harm others, to show love, to never lie. He worked hard and was very humble. She said he was always friendly and could strike up a conversation with anyone! He was tough and a straight shooter but also very loving.

When he was asked what the secret was to a long life, he said the key is love, and avoiding anger and resentment. Quote “Mucho amor y vivir sin enojos.” He went on to say:  "My dad raised me with love, and taught me to love everyone. He always told me and my brothers and sisters to do good, to share everything with others. Besides, Christ lives in me!"

Don Millo eventually moved in with his two children in Trujillo Alto, also part of the San Juan area.  He died August 12, 2021, four days after his 113th birthday.
 
Yovany: Antonia Gerena Rivera, born May 19, 1900, died June 2, 2015 was a validated Puerto Rican-American supercentenarian. She lived to the ripe young age of 115 years, 14 days and at the time was the sixth-oldest living person in the world and the third-oldest in the United States. She is also the oldest person ever who died in Florida and is the second-oldest person ever to have been born in Puerto Rico and the oldest woman born there. Her family brought her to Florida from Puerto Rico about 30 years ago. Only two older American women outlive her — one in Michigan, one in New York.

Antonia was born on May 19, 1900 to Jose Felix Gerena and Basilia Rivera in Loiza, and raised in Barrio Cubuy, Rio Grande. Not sure how many siblings she had (odds are there were a lot lol, those were the days), but it seems living a long life runs in the family!
Her brother Francisco, a World War I veteran, was born in 1898 and died at 105 in 2003. Her sister Maria lived to 103, and her two surviving daughters, Carmen and Fe, are 90 and 89, respectively. (She was a mother of 8 kids though some sources said 9.)
Just for some perspective about how old she was (and i say that with nothing but respect, not sure how else to say it!):
Five days after her birth, the second modern Olympic Games opened in Paris.
Antonia was 8 years old when the Ford Motor Co. produced the first Model T.
The Titanic would set sail 12 years AFTER her birth.
A little bit about Antonia’s life:
At the age of 15, she left the family’s farm and went on to marry Jose Solis Serrano, a soldier who was fighting in WWI.
Their first daughter, Isabelle, was born in 1917. During the war, she had to work on a farm and raise her children on her own, since her husband was still fighting. After World War I, Antonia worked as a teacher in a schoolhouse en el campo. Students and teachers had to cross a river and walk through rugged terrain. “There weren’t these beautiful schools of today, especially not in the mountains in the country. That’s the kind of teacher she was in Puerto Rico.” (but did she have to walk uphill in the snow both ways? lol)

I read a lovely article from the Miami Herald where the writer interviewed Antonia’s granddaughter Jennie Jimenez, and she shared some beautiful stories about her.
She was apparently still sharp even at 102! At that age (back in 2002) Jennie went with Antonia to the motherland of Puerto Rico to see her younger sister, Maria, at a nursing home.

“My grandmother didn’t have arthritis or high blood pressure or cholesterol. She was amazed to see her sister in that condition. She would pat her on the hand and say, ‘Mas nueva que yo’ (She was younger than me). I took her to different towns in Puerto Rico. We went to the beach, and she would hang with me wherever I wanted to go,” Jimenez said.

The trip brought back many memories. “I would ask her something from the past and you’d think she had forgotten. She’d take a little bit of time, and when you least expected it, she’d answer your question and she would remember names.”
Jimenez is one of 27 surviving grandchildren, and she has lost count of how many great- and great-great-grandchildren are out there. “She left a lot of people over the map.”
A little more from Jennie: “She was a hard-working woman and strong. I like to say she died with her pants on. To tell you the truth, she had strong willpower. She drank brandy every day until she was 110.”

Until recently, before the pneumonia that sent her to the hospital, Gerena Rivera lived with her still feisty daughter Carmen — Jimenez’s mom.
“My mother was super-attached to her,” Jimenez said. “All her food had to be pureed because she didn’t have teeth, but she would ask for pork. ‘You don’t give me any meat!’ she’d say. But we did. It was [ground]. She didn’t know it.”

Antonia had met Stan Primmer, director of the Supercentenarian Research Foundation, as well as Dr L. Stephen Coles, Co-Founder of Gerontology Research Group, and her family had contributed to genetic supercentenarian study groups. She was also visited twice (in 2011 and 2015) by Robert Young, Director of GRG Supercentenarians Department and Guinness World Records' Senior Consultant for Gerontology. She was also mentioned in Guinness World Records 2015 as the seventh-oldest living person worldwide (in fact, she was in eighth place because an anonymous Japanese woman, born 15 March 1900, was certified afterwards).

“There are more than seven billion people on this planet. Only four currently have documented proof of birth to support that they are 115 years old or older,” said Robert Young. He went on to share that Antonia was still able to touch her toes at 105 and at 110 would walk with assistance, which is pretty amazing.

I leave you with a final quote by Mr. Young:
“One does not need to fit the stereotype of an elderly person confined to a wheelchair. Her story could definitely serve as an inspiration to others.”

Nancy: I have one other notable individual to share. The oldest Puerto Rican ever on record is Mr. Emiliano Mercado del Toro He was born August 21, 1891 and died on January 24, 2007, which made him 115 years and 156 days old. According to gerontology.fandom.com, Don Emiliano was the world's oldest person for 44 days, the world's oldest man from November 19, 2004 until the day he died, and the oldest verified military veteran ever.  He was also the last remaining validated person born in 1891.

Don Emiliano was born in Cabo Rojo, which is in the southwest of Puerto Rico. His parents were Delfin Mercado and Gumercinda del Toro.  Like Don Millo, our dad, and countless other Puerto Ricans, Emiliano started out as a young farmer in the sugarcane fields. He dropped out of school in sixth grade.

In 1917, Puerto Ricans became US citizens, and in 1918, at age 27, he was drafted into military service for WWI. His first day in the US Army was October 7, 1918 and he was sent to Panama for basic training. This jibaro learned how to fire a rifle! However, the war was over by the end of the year, and he was honorably discharged only two months later, on December 4, 1918. He never got to see combat. His discharge papers stated that he was of “good character.” He then returned to Puerto Rico, resumed his farming life, and apparently never moved again. He remained a farmer until 1971, after he turned 80. Damn! Those farmers were strong AF.

In 1993, at age 102, he received a medal from President Bill Clinton commemorating the 75th anniversary of the signing of the truce that ended World War I.  Also, at this time, unfortunately, he fell and hurt his hip, so he moved to Isabela to live with relatives. They called him Tio Millo, Millo also being our previous honoree’s nickname!

In 2002, around 111 years old now and in a wheelchair, he was the Grand Marshal of The Disabled Veterans of America Parade in the beach town of Isabela.  Isabela is a beautiful beach town on the northwest side of the island, about 35 miles straight up from Cabo Rojo.

Don Emiliano never married and never had children, which was pretty unusual for his generation, at that time and place. However he did say that he had two serious girlfriends in his life that “got away.”  One moved to the US to be with family, and one died young. That’s so sad.

His health in later years wasn’t bad. He was frail, blind, and very hard of hearing, but he was still with it, and loved to chat with visitors. His memory was pretty sharp. He remembered a lot of things, including Hurricane San Ciriaco in 1899 when he was 8, which killed 3400 islanders. He even remembers the year before that, 1898, when American troops arrived in Guánica during the Spanish American War to take control of the island away from Spain.

For his 114th and 115th birthdays, they threw him a party where the famous singer and actress Iris Chacon performed for him. She was his favorite. Iris Chacon in her heyday was an absolute sexpot. And yes I just dated myself using the word sexpot. LOL
When asked what his secrets to a long life were, he said a few things. First, his daily meal of boiled cornmeal, codfish and coconut milk.  He called this funche but that’s not the funche I grew up eating so maybe it depends on the region? Anyway, he also quit smoking years prior, and never drank alcohol.  And last but not least, a sense of humor!
When he died on January 24, 2007, even Iris Chacon went to his funeral! He died a pretty famous and happy guy. As we love to say, Tenia much animo!  He had a lot of spirit!

SOURCES:

https://gerontology.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Puerto_Rican_supercentenarians
https://gerontology.fandom.com/wiki/Emilio_Flores_Marquez
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supercentenarian#:~:text=A%20supercentenarian%20(sometimes%20hyphenated%20as,maximum%20human%20lifespan%20is%20reached.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/world-s-oldest-living-man-puerto-rican-guinness-world-records-n1272921
https://www.telemundopr.com/noticias/puerto-rico/fallece-el-puertorriqueno-con-el-record-guiness-del-hombre-mas-longevo-del-mundo/2247751/
https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2021/8/worlds-oldest-man-emilio-flores-marquez-dies-aged-113-673550
https://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/26/us/man-who-may-be-oldest-living-veteran-tells-some.html
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna14458548
https://gerontology.fandom.com/wiki/Emiliano_Mercado_del_Toro
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/obituaries/article23612395.html
https://gerontology.fandom.com/wiki/Antonia_Gerena_Rivera
https://longeviquest.com/supercentenarians/antonia-gerena-rivera/