Ilie Ciocan, the world’s second-oldest living man, and the oldest man in Europe, passed away today in Bratia din Vale, Vâlcea County, Romania, at the age of 112 years, 351 days.
Ilie Ciocan was born in the village of Cremenari, Vâlcea County, Romania, on 10 June [O.S. 28 May] 1913. He lost both of his parents at a young age, and was forced to begin working very young in order to survive. He worked as a cowherd in the village in exchange for bread, and continued tending cattle until he was 14. With no close relatives able to support them, his eldest brother, Alion, became the primary caretaker of the younger siblings.
On 28 January 1932, at the age of 18, he married Floarea Obogeanu. The couple would eventually have six children (three sons and three daughters). At age 22, already a father, he was drafted into the 6th Pitești Artillery Regiment. After being drafted, he went through several training camps before leaving for the front in 1941 during the Second World War. By that time, he already had children. He served as a courier, delivering orders from the Battery to the battlefield, and fought on both the Eastern and Western Fronts. He was also assigned duties as a gun crew member, and at times as infantry — carrying food and ammunition.
In 1945, he was discharged from the army because he already had a large family, returning home without combat wounds, though in weakened health. After 1990, Ciocan was awarded the rank of major in retirement. His wife died in 1992, at the age of 87.
On 25 November 2024, after the death of 112-year-old Briton John Tinniswood, Ciocan became the Oldest Living Man in Europe.
At the time of his passing, he was the world’s second-oldest living man, only after João Marinho Neto, and the oldest validated person ever born or deceased in Romania.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of Ilie Ciocan during this difficult time.
