Supercentenarian Profile

Franziska Rau

Born:

1902-03-09

Durbach, Baden-Württemberg

Germany

Died:

2012-12-06

Durbach, Baden-Württemberg

Germany

✔ Age Certified by LongeviQuest

Franziska Rau (née Ziegler) was a German supercentenarian.

BIOGRAPHY

Franziska Rau was born in Durbach, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, on 9 March 1902. She was the eldest of three siblings, born to Josef Ziegler, who lived to the age of 78, and Theresia Halter, who lived to be 77.

After attending the old schoolhouse in Durbach, she met her future husband, Herrmann Rau, in 1923 in neighboring Ödsbach. Originally from Hesse-Nassau, he worked as a miner in a barite mine. For four years, Franziska helped sort the barite brought to the surface, making the daily walk across the hills to the neighboring valley.

The couple married near Aachen on 16 September 1925, where they had temporarily settled. Their daughter Maria was born in 1926, followed two years later by their daughter Frieda. Elisabeth and Hedwig were born in 1935 and 1937, respectively. After spending a few years in the Palatinate, the family returned to Durbach. They built a house there in 1938. Afterwards, they had their fifth and final child, a son named Hermann. Her husband subsequently worked in the forest until his death from pneumoconiosis in 1968. Their son Hermann then took over the farm.

In 1977, Franziska and her daughter-in-law traveled to Italy, visiting Lake Maggiore. Besides Switzerland and Austria, it was the third foreign country she had visited. Franziska worked in the fields until she was 90. At the age of 99, she was reported to attend the local senior citizens’ afternoons once a month. She also occasionally attended church services. During the summer, she would take the bus to church by herself.

At the age of 110, she had 14 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. At the time, she still enjoyed remarkably good health. Although she had some difficulty walking and needed two walking sticks, she required only a little assistance from others. She drank several cups of coffee every morning and enjoyed reading the newspaper, as long as her eyesight allowed. What always gave her great pleasure was playing Yahtzee with her daughter-in-law.

Franziska Rau passed away in Durbach, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, on 6 December 2012, at the age of 110 years, 272 days.