Josefina García de Noia

Josefina García de Noia (6 July 1921 – 31 August 2015), commonly known as Pepa Noia, was an Argentine human rights activist and a founding member of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo (Madres de Plaza de Mayo), part of the Línea Fundadora (Founding Line). She became a public figure after the forced disappearance of her daughter, María de Lourdes Noia de Mezzadra, during Argentina's last military dictatorship (1976–1983).

Early life and family García de Noia was born in Buenos Aires. Argentine and Galician press have described her as the daughter of immigrants from Leiro (province of Ourense, Galicia, Spain).

According to the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo Línea Fundadora, she married Juan Carlos Noia and had four children. Multiple sources describe her work as a textile worker, and note that she lived for many years in Castelar (in Morón Partido).

Disappearance of her daughter On 13 October 1976, García de Noia's daughter, María de Lourdes Noia de Mezzadra (often cited simply as “Lourdes Noia”), was abducted from her home along with her husband, Enrique Mario Mezzadra.

For decades, she continued attending the Mothers’ Thursday marches in Plaza de Mayo and was active within the Línea Fundadora grouping. The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo Línea Fundadora also describe her as having been recognised by local institutions in Morón.

Death García de Noia died on 31 August 2015, aged 94.