Alipio Francelino da Silva

Alipio Francelino da Silva (15 august 1891- 3 february 2007) was an unverified Brazilian supercentenarian who claimed to be the oldest living person on Earth from 11 December 2006, after the death of Elizabeth Bolden, until his own death on 3 February 2007.

Biography

Alípio Francelino da Silva was allegedly born on 15 August 1891, in the district of Santo Antônio do Carangola (now Porciúncula), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Located near the Minas Gerais border and the town of Tombos, he began working at age fourteen with his father, learning the carpentry trade.

Over the years, he specialized in farm work across the region, crafting everything from carts, watermills, and mills to wooden floors, doors, and windows.

At age 35, he moved to Rio de Janeiro, working in street paving and other jobs until 1949, when he became a civil service carpenter for the Directorate of Aeronautical Engineering (DIRENG). He proudly contributed to major projects on Ilha do Governador, including the construction of the Itacolomi and Galeão villages. He retired in 1964 and claimed to have been a widower for forty years (according to some sources, he retired in 1949, meaning he stopped working earlier).

Despite retiring, he continued carpentry, masonry, and plumbing for another twenty years, always helping neighbors with repairs.

After finally stopping work in his nineties, he lived on Ilha do Governador and took up daily walking. At age 105, during a long walk from Cacuia to Galeão, he was struck by a car. Worried family members rushed to the hospital, only to find him completely uninjured.

In his later years, cataracts reduced his vision, stopping his walks. Despite medical advancements, he refused eye surgery, preferring not to risk it at his advanced age, having never worn glasses or been hospitalized before.

Remarkably, as one of the oldest retirees on the PIPAR payroll, he continued to fulfill all legal requirements by submitting his mandatory annual reports to his pension organization.

Alípio Francelino da Silva died on 3 February 2007, at the claimed age of 115 years and 172 days. If his age is correct, he was the oldest person on Earth from 11 December 2006, following the death of Elizabeth Bolden.