Maria Redaelli

Maria Angela Redaelli (3 April 1899 – 2 April 2013) was an Italian supercentenarian. At the time of her death, just one day shy of her 114th birthday, she was the oldest living person in Italy, the oldest living person in Europe and the fourth oldest living person in the world (behind Jiroemon Kimura, Misao Okawa, and Gertrude Weaver).

Biography

Maria Angela Redaelli was born on 3 April 1899 in Inzago, near Milan in the region of Lombardy. She married Gaspare Granoli (1898–1979) and the couple raised two children, Carla (1925) and Luigi (1930–2004). She worked in a silk spinning mill for almost 40 years while her husband was a steelworker in the Breda Industry, in Sesto San Giovanni, where they lived. After 1974, Redaelli moved to Novate Milanese and lived with her daughter's family. In her last days she was in good health, clear headed, quite active, and was still able to walk. Although she had some problems with her sight and hearing, she still read newspapers and magazines every day and on television followed her greatest passion and favourite football club, Inter Milan.

On 3 April 2012, she celebrated her 113th birthday with a big party organized by her town, Novate Milanese, with the help of Inter City Fan Club. She was driven by a police car to the center of her town where she was welcomed by the Mayor Lorenzo Guzzeloni and celebrated by all citizens. Bedy Moratti, sister of Inter president Massimo Moratti, and Ernesto Paolillo, Inter F.C. chief executive officer, took part in the party to give Redaelli a special shirt and the best wishes from the team.

She died peacefully on 2 April 2013 at the age of 113 years, 364 days of natural causes in her sleep, she was survived by a daughter (aged 88), 2 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren.