Supercentenarian Profile

Bertha Voelkel

Born:

1886-05-17

Trutnov, Hradec Králové Region, (formerly Austria-Hungary)

Czech Republic

Died:

1996-11-02

Lacey, Thurston County, Washington

United States

✔ Age Certified by LongeviQuest

Bertha Maria Voelkel (née Krause) was an Austro-Hungarian-born American supercentenarian whose age has been validated by LongeviQuest.

BIOGRAPHY

Bertha Maria Krause was born in Trutnov, Hradec Králové Region, Czech Republic (then Austria-Hungary), on 17 May 1886 to parents Eduard and Anna Krause. She left school after the sixth grade to help raise her siblings following her mother’s death.

As a young woman, Bertha worked as a nanny for wealthy families, a role that reflected her sense of responsibility and care for others. Over time, she developed an impressive ability to speak multiple languages, eventually becoming fluent in four, including English and German.

On 15 September 1910, she moved to the United States, arriving in New York. On 2 October 1916 she married Henry Louis August Voelkel in Chicago, Illinois, USA. They had no children together. Henry passed away on 19 August 1949.

She spent her later years at the Panorama City Convalescent and Rehabilitation Center, where she lived for more than a decade. Although she faced physical challenges and eventually relied on a wheelchair after a fall, she remained remarkably active and independent. She continued to move about the facility, visit others, and engage with daily life.