BIOGRAPHY

Gunborg Hancock was born in Helsinki, Uusimaa, in what was then part of the Russian Empire. She was the youngest of three daughters born to parents Georg Gustaf Westling (1879–1930) and Elin Lundblad (1875–1953). Her father was a sailor who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics. He was a crew member of the Finnish boat Lucky Girl, which won the bronze medal in the 8 metre class. She had two older sisters, Maj-Lis (1908–1967) and Asta Marianne (1910–1977). After finishing high school, she enrolled at the Ateneum Art School in Helsinki. In 1930, at just 18 years old, she lost her father, who tragically took his own life. He had been Finland’s first car salesman, but his business collapsed during the economic downturn.

In 1937, she married George Londen, who would die just a few years later in the Winter War on 5 March 1940, at the age of 29. In the midst of World War II, she met Robert Hancock, a British-Finnish-Swedish art student. In 1943, they got married. By 1944, with German soldiers and officers occupying Helsinki and her new husband being a British citizen, it became necessary for them to flee. They discovered that two British ships were evacuating British citizens to Stockholm. Initially, they lived in an apartment on Linnégatan, but soon they managed to rent a place in the newly built Abrahamsberg neighborhood in Bromma. She and Robert later spent the years 1948–1949 in Paris.

After divorcing her husband in 1958, she returned to Stockholm, settling on the small island of Lilla Essingen, where she spent the rest of her life.

Hancock was a close friend of writer Stig Larsson, who dedicated several lines to Gunborg in his 2017 book Folk på ön. She also appeared as a guest on Larsson’s podcast, Cyril & Stig, in July 2015, at the age of 103. At the age of 110, when asked for advice on living a long life, she said, “Eat vegetables and stay active. I paddled from the mainland to Visby myself, but you can also play tennis!” On her 112th birthday, she was visited by Mauri Hermundsson, a Swedish television presenter and YouTuber. At the age of 112, though she spent most of her time in her apartment, she remained deeply interested in world affairs, keeping up by reading newspapers and watching television.

Gunborg Hancock passed away in Stockholm, on 16 October 2024, at the age of 112 years, 179 days.

RECOGNITION

On 9 April 2022, following the passing of Flarid Lagerlund, she became the oldest living person in Sweden, just 11 days before her 110th birthday. A few months later, on 18 July, she became the oldest living person in the Nordic countries following the death of Finland’s Astrid Qvist.

Her age was verified by Jimmy Lindberg, and was validated by LongeviQuest on 9 April 2024.

On 7 July 2024, at the age of 112 years, 78 days, she surpassed the final age of Suoma Korkee (1886–1998), becoming the oldest Finnish emigrant ever, as well as the second-oldest Finnish-born person, behind only Maria Rothovius (1887–2000).

On 11 September 2024, at the age of 112 years and 144 days, she surpassed the final age of Elsa Moberg, becoming the second-oldest person ever to have lived or died in Sweden (she only held the title until 26 October, when Agnes Boström surpassed her final age), as well as the second-oldest from the city of Stockholm.

ATTRIBUTION

* Georg Gustaf Westling – Geni

* Folk på ön (2017) by Stig Larsson

* “Nyfiken DN-läsare fyller 110 år” – DN, 20 April 2022

* “Stort firande när Gunborg på Lilla Essingen fyllde 110 år” – Mitt i, 22 April 2022

* “112-åriga Gunborg Hancock är Nordens äldsta person – har levt genom tre krig” – SVT Nyheter, 14 June 2024

GALLERY