BIOGRAPHY

Dezsőné Kovács was born Margit Balogh in Berekböszörmény, Hajdú–Bihar County, Hungary, on 25 September 1906. In 1905, her father, Zsigmond Balogh, was drafted into military service in the Austrian part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Around that time, someone else had also taken an interest in her mother, Margit Szabó, and wished to marry her even before Zsigmond left for the army. However, special permission was required for the wedding, as the bride was barely over 15 years old. Not long after, the couple’s first child, Margit, was born, though her father didn’t get to see her until several months later due to his military service. When he returned, the family moved to Oradea (present-day Romania), where he became a police officer. She went on to have four younger siblings.

She began her schooling in Oradea, but the family later moved to Hajdúnánás. As the eldest daughter, she completed four years of secondary school before entering the workforce. She found a job as a cashier in a spice shop.

She first met her future husband in Oradea. Dezső Kovács was eight years older than her and worked as a merchant’s assistant. He often accompanied her to school. However, life eventually separated them. Both of them frequently visited relatives in Berekböszörmény, where they reconnected. In 1927, they got married. In Mezősas, her husband managed the local pub at the Hangya Cooperative, while she ran the spice shop. Later, they moved to Debrecen, where their daughter, Éva, was born. During this time, she sold produce from a local nursery and spent her free time sewing and mending clothes.

By the end of World War II, they were in Oradea, but unwilling to live in Romania, they moved once again—this time to Hajdúnánás. The couple rented a garden and sold their homegrown vegetables and fruits at the market. Meanwhile, their daughter, Éva, met her future husband, Barnabás Mester, in Debrecen. Both found work in Kecskemét, and her parents decided to move with them. She was widowed in 1984.

Dezsőné Kovács passed away in Kecskemét, Bács-Kiskun County, Hunrary, on 13 May 2017, at the age of 110 years, 230 days.

RECOGNITION

On 30 July 2016, following the passing of 111-year-old Maria Hoffner, she became the oldest living person in Hungary. Upon her own passing, she was succeeded by Jánosné Bélik.

Her age has not been validated.

ATTRIBUTION

* “A 110 éves Margit nénit köszöntötték” – KEOL.hu, 26 September 2016

* “Pálinkával koccintott a 110 éves Margitka néni” – BAON.hu, 26 September 2016

GALLERY