Dina Manfredini

Dina Manfredini (née Guerri; 4 April 1897 – 17 December 2012) was an Italian-American supercentenarian who was the world's oldest living person from the death of American Besse Cooper on 4 December 2012 until her own death 13 days later. She was the oldest person ever to be born in Italy and at the time of her death she was one of the 10 verified oldest people.

Biography

Manfredini was born in the small comune of Pievepelago in the region of Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. She moved to Des Moines, Iowa, in 1920 with her husband Riccardo Manfredini. The couple raised four children: Mary Russo (b. 1921), Dante (b. 1922), Rudy (1924–1997) and Enes (b. 1928). She worked in an ammunition factory during World War II and cleaned houses until she was 90, although she lied about her age so that people would not think she was too old to work. Her husband worked in a coal mine, but died in 1965 at the age of 79.

After his death, Dina lived alone for 42 years until moving into a nursing home in 2007 at age 110. She survived colon cancer at age 101, still danced at 103, and still shoveled snow at 106.

Manfredini was able to walk with the aid of a walker until shortly before turning 115 when she became confined to a wheelchair.

Death

She died of an infection on 17 December 2012 and was survived by three of her four children (aged 91, 90 and 84), 7 grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren, and 12 great-great-grandchildren.