Supercentenarian Profile

Charlotte Klamroth

Born:

1903-08-18

Krottorf (Gröningen), Saxony-Anhalt

Germany

Died:

2015-05-16

Ludwigshafen, Rhineland-Palatinate

Germany

✔ Age Certified by LongeviQuest

Charlotte Klamroth (née Dettmar) was a German supercentenarian who was the nation’s oldest living resident at the time of her passing.

BIOGRAPHY

Charlotte Klamroth was born in Krottorf (Gröningen), Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, on 18 August 1903. She grew up on a farm with her four brothers, surrounded by animals—horses, mules, oxen, sheep, chickens, and geese. When her mother passed away, she took over the household responsibilities at the age of 18.

On 18 March 1926, she married the farmer Jürgen Friedrich Klamroth (born 1899) in the church at Krottorf. Jürgen was a close friend of her brother Hans. Later that same year, on 24 December, their daughter Christa Ingeborg was born in Gröningen. Two more daughters followed—Sigrid in 1928 and Gisela in 1930—and finally, their son Jürgen Hans in 1937. For a time, the family lived in the so-called “Schlösschen” (“little castle”) in Gröningen, located directly on the Bode River. From an early stage, her husband was politically skeptical of the Nazi regime. This conviction led him to join the Young German Order and later the German State Party. In 1937, shortly after the birth of their son, the couple moved to the monastery estate.

The Klamroths were partners in the Gröningen sugar factory, which exported its products as far as London. Despite their involvement in the resistance, the family was expropriated and expelled from the Soviet occupation zone in 1945. She was reportedly forced to leave her home and farm within two hours. After the war, her husband was arrested and died in the Buchenwald-Torgau camp on 13 October 1946. In 1955, Charlotte moved to Ludwigshafen, where her eldest daughter lived. In 1971, she settled in Pfingstweide, in the home of her daughter and son-in-law.

Charlotte was an avid reader and enjoyed crafting figurines. In her later years, her failing eyesight prevented her from watching equestrian sports on television, which she had once loved. She was said to be unpretentious when it came to food. At the age of 111, she had 12 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren.

Charlotte Klamroth passed away in Ludwigshafen, Rhineland-Palatinate,, on 16 May 2015, at the age of 111 years, 271 days.

RECOGNITION

Her age was validated by the Gerontology Research Group on 21 September 2014. This validation was later recognized by LongeviQuest.

In February 2015, following the passing of Johanna Klink, she became the oldest living person in Germany. Upon her own passing, she was succeeded by Margarete Dannheimer.