Marita del Carmen Camacho Quirós (10 March 1911 – 20 June 2025) was a Costa Rican

supercentenarian A supercentenarian, sometimes hyphenated as super-centenarian, is a person who is 110 or older. This age is achieved by about one in 1,000 centenarians. Supercentenarians typically live a life free of significant age-related diseases until short ...

who served as First Lady of Costa Rica from 1962 to 1966 during the presidency of her husband,

Francisco Orlich Bolmarcich Francisco José Orlich Bolmarcich (10 March 190729 October 1969) was a Costa Rican businessman and politician who was the 34th President of Costa Rica from 1962 to 1966. He was an ethnic Croat, a descendant of Croatian settlers from the town o ...

. At the time of her death, Camacho Quirós was the oldest living Costa Rican and the oldest former first lady in the world.

Personal life

Camacho Quirós was born on 10 March 1911 in San Ramón, located within

Alajuela Province Alajuela () is a Provinces of Costa Rica, province of Costa Rica. It is located in the north-central part of the country, bordering Nicaragua to the north. It also borders the provinces of Heredia Province, Heredia to the east, San Jose Province, ...

. Her parents were Salustio Camacho and Zeneida Quirós, both farmers. She was their seventh daughter. Camacho Quirós married the businessman and politician

Francisco José Orlich Bolmarcich Francisco José Orlich Bolmarcich (10 March 190729 October 1969) was a Costa Rican businessman and politician who was the 34th President of Costa Rica from 1962 to 1966. He was an ethnic Croat, a descendant of Croatian settlers from the town o ...

in the nearby city of Naranjo de Alajuela, on 16 April 1932. They had two sons, Francisco Orlich Camacho and Mauricio Orlich Camacho. Her husband died on 29 October 1969.

First Lady of Costa Rica

On 8 May 1962, Bolmarcich became the

President of Costa Rica The president of the Republic of Costa Rica is the head of state and head of government of Costa Rica. The president is currently elected in direct elections for a period of four years, which is not immediately renewable. Two Vice President of ...

. Upon her husband's inauguration, Camacho Quirós became the First Lady of Costa Rica. She maintained the position until 8 May 1966 when Clara Fonseca Guardia succeeded her. As First Lady, she actively worked for children by promoting children's shelters, teaching schools, school canteens, and community centres. She supported the and the 1964 creation of the Hospital Nacional de Niños. Camacho Quirós made several trips abroad with her husband as First Lady. They met with

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII (born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death on 3 June 1963. He is the most recent pope to take ...

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (born Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general and dictator who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces i ...

, and American presidents

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

and

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

Longevity

On 10 March 2021, Camacho Quirós turned 110 years old, becoming a

. She was verified by the

Gerontology Research Group The Gerontology Research Group (GRG) based in Los Angeles, California, US, is a global non-profit scientific organization of researchers in various fields of gerontology, primarily concerned with validating the ages of, recording and researching ...

as being the oldest Costa Rican to ever live. She was also the oldest known former first lady. Camacho Quirós died on 20 June 2025, at the age of 114 years and 102 days. After her death,

Franca Pilla Franca Pilla (or Franca Ciampi; born 19 December 1920) is the former first lady of Italy, when Carlo Azeglio Ciampi was president of Italy from 1999 to 2006. Biography Pilla was born in Reggio Emilia on 19 December 1920. She was in education wh ...

of Italy became the oldest living former first lady at the age of 104.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Camacho Quirós, Marita 1911 births 2025 deaths Costa Rican supercentenarians Costa Rican women centenarians First ladies and gentlemen of Costa Rica People from San Ramón, Costa Rica Women supercentenarians