Kateryna Kots, the oldest known living person in Ukraine, passed away in Staryi Chortoryisk, Volyn Oblast, on 16 January, at the age of 109 years, 105 days.
Kateryna Karpivna Kots (Катерина Карпівна Коць) was born in Staryi Chortoryisk on 3 October 1916. She came from a family of long-lived individuals: her mother lived to the age of 102, and her sister to over 90. When she was only a year old, her father passed away, leaving her mother to raise three children on her own. She had two older siblings. She never received formal education, but from a young age she worked on a collective farm, tending fields and caring for geese and ducks. It was in her native village that she met her future husband, Yefim, who was several years older than she was.
Life was not easy for them. In 1944, German soldiers entered their village and burned down their home. With her infant daughter in her arms, she fled into the forest to escape the danger. Later, she and Yefim rebuilt their house from scratch. In 1946, they welcomed their second daughter, Taisia. Years later, at the age of 42, she became a mother for the third time.
According to official data from the Pension Fund of Ukraine, Kateryna was the oldest living person in Ukraine.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of Kateryna Kots during this difficult time.
