The oldest man in Colombia passed away peacefully of natural causes at the age of 115 on Wednesday, local media reported.
Born on December 31, 1898, Marco Tulio died in his home with his daughter Carmen Julia at his side in the central Colombian municipality of Cocorna, El Colombiano newspaper reported.
Tulio’s death marks a great loss as he was admired in his community for being a “good man and a symbol of endurance and survival”.
Those who knew him have also shared the news of his passing with photos of Tulio and his ever-present tobacco pipe.
Falleció el hombre más viejo de Colombia, Marco Tulio Atehortua Daza a los 115 años, Foto: @EstebanVL @elcolombiano pic.twitter.com/3TgAxfjnyW
— Esteban Vanegas (@EstebanVL) Mayo 7, 2014
Until Wednesday, Tulio had been one of the oldest living Colombians on record, surpassed only by farmer Jose Rosario Serrano Arencas who died in 2009 at the age of 128.
According to his grandson, Fabian Atehortua, the family knew something was wrong when the ever-healthy Tulio did not get up or eat as usual on Tuesday, Vanguardia newspaper reported.
“We went to look for the doctor, but we didn’t make it in time and he died early on Wednesday morning,”
According to the family, Tulio was completely self sufficient, able to move around with a cane and had even given up his one vice of smoking a pipe in the last year before his death.
However Tulio’s family struggle economically and have therefore given their telephone numbers for any potential donations towards the funeral or for those who wish to attend.
The funeral is to be held on Thursday at Cocorna cemetery.
Sources
- Murió en Antioquia el hombre más viejo de Colombia (Vanguardia)
- Murió en Cocorná el hombre más viejo de Colombia (El Colombiano)
