Armando Alvarino Thomas was born on 5 March 1914 in Río Viejo, a town and municipality located in the Bolívar Department of northern Colombia. In his late 30s, he moved to the municipality of Barrancabermeja, where he worked for much of his career at the Tropical Oil Company, which was also commonly known as “El Troco”. He married Zoraida Sarmiento, and the couple would have twelve children together.
At the age of 108, he was still able to walk with the aid of a walking frame, and could read without glasses.
His younger sister, Emilia, died in 2023 at the age of 100.
Armando Alvarino Thomas currently lives in Barrancabermeja, Santander, Colombia.
In addition to being the seventh man from Colombia to become a supercentenarian, he is the first from the department of Santander.