BIOGRAPHY

Rodenstein was born in Herbesthal, Liège Province, Belgium, on 3 September 1908. She was the youngest of nine siblings. They grew up in Herbesthal, on the present-day border between Belgium and Germany. Her father was German, and her mother was Belgian. She had vivid memories of Kaiser Wilhelm’s visit to Aachen. Since Aachen wasn’t far away, she and her brother Jakob went there with their parents. The children were tasked with scattering flowers for the emperor along the roadside. Describing the event, she recalled how he proudly passed by on horseback — much to their disappointment, as he soon departed. Following the early death of her mother, her father, a railway official, was transferred, and the family moved into their new home in Hohenbudberg.

In 1930, at the age of 21, she married Heinrich “Heinz” Rodenstein. The couple lived in Friedrich-Alfred-Straße street in Rheinhausen and had two daughters. Her husband, a trained shoemaker, later found work at Krupp. During that period, as the land in the Krupp settlement required tending, they constructed a house within the settlement and also raised small livestock. The family kept two chickens, two rabbits, and a pig on their property.

Her husband was drafted shortly before the end of the Second World War. He was arrested as a prisoner of war, and she received a letter from Bielefeld: “If you want to see me again, you have to come here.” She walked halfway there to meet him. Another wartime experience she recalled was when her sister was coming to visit her from Austria during the war. To welcome her, she hung a ‘Welcome’ sign outside her door. However, during the night, members of the Sturmabteilung rang the doorbell and wanted to arrest her. They had been misinformed, likely assuming a deserter was seeking refuge. A neighbor clarified the misunderstanding. Nevertheless, her sister left quickly when bombs began to fall, with fragments ending up in the living room.

Her husband passed away in 1970. In 2004, she moved to Neukirchen-Vluyn, where she lived with her younger daughter.

At the age of 106, she had 7 grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren, and 3 great-great-grandchildren. At the age of 108, she continued to wash dishes and use public transportation. Additionally, she attended day care twice a week. At the time of her 109th birthday in 2017, she was still living in her own apartment in Neukirchen-Vluyn. On her birthday, she took the bus to Vluyner Platz to celebrate at a restaurant with her family and Mayor Harald Lenßen. One of her daughters passed away in 2017. At the age of 109, she moved into a nursing home in Hochfeld (Duisburg) when she became wheelchair-bound.

RECOGNITION

On 25 January 2020, following the passing of 111-year-old Elisabeth De Proost, she became the oldest living person born in Belgium.

On 12 July 2020, following the passing of 111-year-old Katharina Hagemeyer, she became the oldest living person in Germany. She held the title for six days until her own passing. Upon her passing, she was succeeded by Josefine Ollmann.

Her age was verified by Georg Fürholzer, in collaboration with the European Supercentenarian Organisation, and validated on 21 April 2024.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Adele Rodenstein feiert 106. Geburtstag” – Stadt Neukirchen-Vluyn, 4 September 2014

* “108 Jahre! Adele Rodenstein ist die Älteste in Neukirchen-Vluyn” – NRZ, 4 January 2017

* “Neukirchen-Vluynerin ist mit 109 Jahren noch putzmunter” – NRZ, 13 September 2017

* “Gratulation! Älteste Duisburgerin feiert 111. Geburtstag” – WAZ, 3 September 2019

GALLERY