(CP) The oldest man on the planet, who died this week in Venezuela, attributed his longevity partly to his strong Catholic faith and love for God.
Juan Vicente Pérez Mora, 114, died Tuesday in Táchira, Venezuela, just weeks shy of his a hundred and fifteenth birthday, in keeping with an announcement from Freddy Bernal, the governor of Táchira.
Guinness World Records had confirmed Mora because the world’s oldest man, awarding him the excellence on Feb. 4, 2022, when he was 112 years and 253 days old. He was born May 27, 1909, in El Cobre, Táchira, Venezuela, the ninth of 10 children.
Mora could only finish five months of formal education when he was 10 because his teacher became unwell. But he learned read and write using a book she gave him, in keeping with Guinness.
Mora, who worked in agriculture while helping to settle land and family disputes as sheriff in Caricuena from 1948 to 1958, was married to Ediofina del Rosario García until her death in 1997. The two had six sons and five daughters and were married for 60 years.
Family was central to Mora, who boasted of 42 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren and 12 great-great-grandchildren.
“My Uncle Vicente transmits loads of peace, tranquility and radiates loads of joy,” newphew Freddy Abreu told Catholic News Agency’s Spanish-speaking outlet in 2022.
“He’s a one that has rather a lot to provide. He enjoys the easy things in life and may be very grateful to God.”
Mora, who prayed the rosary twice day by day, told Guinness World Records in 2022 that the key to his long life was to “work hard, rest on holidays, go to bed early, drink a glass of aguardiente [a sugar-based liquor] each day, love God, and all the time carry Him in your heart.”
He also desired to be remembered “as a hardworking man, faithful to his wife and his religion.”
Following his death, tributes to Mora poured in from political leaders in Venezuela.
“Our dear Juan Vicente Pérez Mora, today with deep sadness and pain we are saying goodbye to you, to that archetype of a person from Táchira, humble, hardworking, peaceful, keen about family and tradition,” tweeted Gov. Bernal.
“Together with my wife and youngsters we had the pleasure and the pride of meeting him and sharing along with his family members,” Bernal added. “My old Don Vicente, we are going to all the time remember him for his optimism in life, for faith, hope, and that deep love for our state of Táchira.”
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro echoed Bernal’s sentiments.
“Juan Vicente Pérez Mora has transcended into eternity at 114 years old,” Maduro posted on X. “I send my hugs and condolences to his family and to all of the people of El Cobre, Táchira state. May God receive him in his holy glory.”
