Lina Anundsen (left) and Margit Larsen (right), the two oldest living people in Norway, both celebrated their 110th birthdays on November 12. Their birthdays were first reported by the Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang (VG).
The two women have held the title of the oldest living people in Norway since 27 February 2024, following the passing of 109-year-old Vidar Eide. Anundsen currently resides in her native village of Siljan, Eastern Norway, while Larsen lives in Odda, Western Norway.
Lina Anundsen was born in the village of Siljan, in Telemark county, Eastern Norway, on 12 November 1914. In the mid-1930s, she spent each summer gardening with a friend, a one-hour walk from the village of Siljan. Together, they cared for five cows, which they milked twice a day. She spent her days making cheese and cooking prim. Beginning at age 16, she spent her summers working with the cows from Midsummer until autumn. She later remarked that she had enjoyed this work greatly. In 1934, at the age of 20, she married a truck driver named Gunnar and had six children over the next 19 years. She was widowed in 2002.
Margit Larsen was born in the municipality of Hamre (present-day Åsane), Vestland County, Western Norway, as the second of five siblings. She outlived all four of her siblings—one passed away in their 90s, while three lived to be over 100. She moved with her family to Odda when she was six years old. She worked for many years as a maid before marrying Erling Larsen in 1950. The following year, their daughter Ingebjørg was born, and she became a full-time housewife. In addition to her family duties, she was highly involved in politics with the Christian Democratic Party (KrF) and actively participated in scouting and volunteer work.
We would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to the doyennes of Norway on their remarkable 110th birthdays. We wish them many more years filled with good health, happiness, and cherished moments.
(Featured image: vg.no)
