Rosario Balletbó Alís, tobacco specialist, dies at 103

Rosario Balletbó Alís, born in November 1922 at Cal Tixaire in Civís, has died at the age of 103. A well‑known and much‑loved resident of Sant Julià de Lòria, she spent more than six decades working at the Cal Rafeló tobacco factory, where she was a trusted specialist in the fermentation of tobacco.

She moved to Andorra after meeting Joan Alís Sanvicens at a festa major dance in Certés in 1941; the couple raised a large family in the parish. Rosario remained active in daily life until she was 86, continuing to carry out domestic tasks in a building of Cal Reig. In 2022 the Comú of Sant Julià de Lòria honoured her on her 100th birthday.

Rosario became widely known beyond the parish after appearing on the Catalan television programme El Foraster, where she recounted vivid anecdotes about the postwar years, including the clandestine trading she and her husband carried out to support their family. In earlier decades she travelled the paths linking Alt Urgell and Andorra — on foot or by mule — transporting goods for the black market and, at times without her knowledge during the conflict, ammunition.

Her early life was marked by hardship: left fatherless as an infant and the youngest of three, she and her mother struggled to keep the household in Civís together after the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War when she was 14. She worked the land and tended livestock throughout her life, and was noted for her lively memory, affable character and love of dancing.

Rosario was closely connected to local families, including those of former síndic Serafí Reig and former head of government Òscar Ribas, and was a familiar presence in parish life until her death. Her wake will be held on Sunday at the Sala de la Germandat de Sant Sebastià from 11:00 to 13:00 and from 15:30 to 20:00. The funeral mass is scheduled for Monday at 11:00 at the Church of Sant Germà and Sant Julià in Sant Julià de Lòria.