Irene Ciuffoletti

Irene Ciuffoletti (née Zito; born 19 January 1903) is verified Italian-born American supercentenarian. At age 112, she is currently the third-oldest living person born in Italy, after Emma Morano and Giuseppina Projetto. She is also the fifth-oldest living person currently residing in United States.

Early life
She was born in the Italian region of Basilicata to parents Frank and Frances Zito. She had at least 3 sisters and 2 brothers.

In 1912, while she and her family were living in a town called Sant’ Arsenio, they decided to emigrate to Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The reason for the move was that her father had received a job offer from the metal company Alcoa. One of the workers at Frank’s job was Emiliano Ciuffoletti, another Italian native. One day, while Irene was deliviring food there, she first met Emiliano. They married in 1921. The couple had 5 children in total; all sons.

Later years
In 1957, Irene became a widow after Emilio’s death. Until her first centenarian years, she was still able to cook.

At the time of her 110th birthday, she was reported to poor hearing, but sharp mind and in overall good health. She was wheelchaired at the time. She confessed to be astounded at her own longevity, although it was mentioned that she never drank alcohol nor smoked during her life. She has also attributed her long life to ”eating a lot of Italian food” as well as living a ”good, Christian life.”

As of January 2016, she has been living at a nursing home in Pennsylvania called St. Anne Home since 2008. Her youngest son, Julius, is the only child who is still alive.