As of Nov. 26, João Marinho Neto is 112 years, 52 days old. He was previously recognized as the oldest living man in both Brazil and Latin America and is now the last surviving man born in 1912. Photo provided.

News Release

BRAZIL — João Marinho Neto was born in Maranguape, Ceará, Brazil, on 5 October 1912, into a family of farmers. During his childhood, his parents moved the family to a rural area of Apuiarés. From the age of about four, Neto was already enjoying helping his father and his employee in the fields. Along with taking care of the cattle, they would harvest fruit from Juazeiro trees, by creating a makeshift hook from the branches to protect the fruit. He experienced hardship on several occasions, as he had to survive through severe droughts that struck the region throughout the decades.

Neto married Josefa Albano dos Santos (1920–1994), with whom he had four children: Antônio, José, Fátima and Vanda (deceased). His wife had inherited property at Fazenda Massapê, where Neto cultivated the land with corn and beans. He also raised cattle, goats, pigs and chickens. Later in his life, Neto had three more children — Vinícius, Jarbas and Conceição — with Antonia Rodrigues Moura. Through hard work, Neto built a financially stable life, accruing assets such as land and houses.

On April 2, following the passing of 114-year-old Juan Vicente Pérez Mora of Venezuela, he became the oldest known living man in Latin America, at the age of 111 years, 180 days.

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