The world's oldest woman, Maria Esther de Capovilla, succumbs to pneumonia on Sunday. She was 116.

Relatives say she died in Ecuador's coastal city of Guayaquil. Her funeral was scheduled for Monday.

Capovilla was born in 1889 to an upper class Ecuadorean family. It was the same year that Adolf Hitler and comedian Charlie Chaplin were born. She was 22-years-old when the Titanic sank and 79 when astronauts first reached the Moon.

Capovilla's family says she liked to paint, embroider, dance and walk. When she was young, she drank fresh donkey milk, a practice her relatives believe contributed to her longevity.

She apparently never smoked, drank in moderation and ate regular, small meals. She married Austrian sailor Antonio Capovilla in 1917. He died in 1949. They had five children, 11 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.

Her family was preparing to celebrate her 117th birthday party this year.