László (Laci) Papp, the oldest living man in Hungary, celebrated his 107th birthday in Szarvas, Békés County, on 30 May, according to Newjság.
László Papp was born on 30 May 1919 in a railway wagon near Mezőberény, in Békés County. He was born while his family was fleeing Partium, a region occupied by Romanian forces in the turbulent period preceding the Treaty of Trianon.
Although he was expelled from the Reformed High School in Nagykőrös through no fault of his own, László was fortunately admitted to the school in Szarvas. During his student years, he attended prayer meetings every afternoon and, after studying in the evenings, regularly went to the gym to train.
In 1938, he met his future wife, Margit. The two young people fell in love at first sight at a dance. László was nineteen and Margit sixteen. They met again at several social gatherings and dances, but because Margit already had a suitor, their brief romance came to an end. László later attended college, qualified as an engineer, and started a family. Over the years, he was married twice and widowed twice. Margit also married and raised a family of her own. For nearly sixty years, they had no contact and did not see one another again until an alumni reunion in 1996. Their reunion rekindled the affection they had felt as teenagers. From the moment they met again, they became inseparable, and just one month later, they were married.
Following the passing of 106-year-old Mátyás Illéssy (8 November 1918 – 10 May 2025), he became the oldest known living man in Hungary. At the moment, he is the country’s third-oldest living resident, after Leventéné Csap (b. 14 April 1917) and Ilona Nagy (b. 27 November 1918).
LongeviQuest extends warm congratulations to László Papp on his 107th birthday.
