Inah Canabarro Lucas was born on 8 June 1908 in
São Francisco de Assis, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, to João Antonio Lucas and Mariana Canabarro. She was the great-granddaughter of General
David Canabarro, who fought in the
Ragamuffin War. She had a younger brother, Rube (1909–1987), who served as a Lieutenant Colonel Aviator in the
Brazilian Air Force. As a child, she was very skinny, and many in her community did not think she would survive into adulthood. She was a lifelong fan of the football club
SC Internacional, established in 1909. She taught in schools of the Teresian Sisters in
Rio de Janeiro,
Itaqui, and
Santana do Livramento where she taught Portuguese, mathematics, science, history, art, and religion. She established the
marching band at the Colégio Santa Teresa, which comprised 115 instruments and performed in across Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina. She also assisted in establishing the marching band of the Liceu Pomoli (Pomoli School) in
Rivera, Uruguay.
Pope Francis sent a message of congratulations to her on her 110th birthday. She became the oldest living person in Brazil following the death of Antonia da Santa Cruz (1905–2022) on 23 January 2022. In 2022, for Canabarro Lucas's 114th birthday, the Teresian Sisters in
Porto Alegre held a three-day celebration. She became the oldest living person in the world following the death of
Tomiko Itooka on 29 December 2024. Inah Canabarro Lucas died on 30 April 2025, at the age of 116 years and 326 days, at the Santo Enrique de Ossó Shelter of the Teresian Sisters. Following her death,
Ethel Caterham of the United Kingdom became the world's oldest living person. She is the second-oldest nun in history, behind
Lucile Randon. ==See also==