Anna De Guchtenaere

BIOGRAPHY

Anna De Guchtenaere was born in Ledeberg, East Flanders, Belgium, on 10 April 1904. She was one of three daughters of clerk Gustave De Guchtenaere and his wife, Emma Haller.

During the First World War, the family fled to England, where Anna continued her schooling. Upon returning to Belgium, she took violin lessons at the Ghent Conservatory. As a violinist, she accompanied silent films in Ghent’s cinemas. When sound films arrived in the early 1930s, she changed careers, becoming a stenographer and secretary at the Bell company in Antwerp.

It was during this period that she met her future husband, Antoine Verhaeghe. They were married in Antwerp in 1933, remaining in the port city for two more years before moving to Ghent. The couple had two children—a daughter and a son—whom Anna devoted herself to raising.

Anna’s hobbies included spinning and weaving, practicing yoga, playing Scrabble, and reading, which she continued to enjoy well into advanced age. According to her family, she owed her remarkable longevity to her sociable nature and cheerful disposition. Longevity also ran in her family: one aunt lived to be 101, and her two sisters reached the ages of 96 and 95 respectively.

In 1979, Anna was widowed and continued to live alone for many years. After spending a few years with her daughter, she moved—at nearly 105 years of age—into a retirement home, where she passed away from the effects of a cold just days before her 111th birthday.

RECOGNITION

On 7 September 2014, she became the oldest living person in Belgium, following the passing of Fanny Godin. Upon her own passing, she was succeeded by Alicia Corveleyn.

Her age has not been validated.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Anna (110) is oudste Gentenaar” – hln.be, 11 April 2014

* “Oudste vrouw (110) van het land overleden” – Het Nieuwsblad, 7 April 2015

* “Anna De Guchtenaere (1904-2015)” – Belgische eeuwelingen

GALLERY

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