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Supercentenarian Profile

Helfrid Eriksson

Born:

June 23, 1908
Pernå, Eastern Uusimaa Region

Died:

October 23, 2018
Korsholm, Ostrobothnia Region

Helfrid Eriksson (née Strandborg) was a Finnish supercentenarian.

BIOGRAPHY

Helfrid Eriksson was born in Pernå, Eastern Uusimaa Region, Finland, on 23 June 1908, to parents William Strandborg (1877–1975) and Olga Augusta Strandborg (1878–1973). Her father was a bricklayer, while her mother stayed at home to care for their three children. When Helfrid turned 20, the family relocated to Helsinki to ensure the children could receive a proper education. Both Helfrid and her sister attended a girls’ school.

Helfrid married Paul Abraham Eriksson, a taxi driver, and together they had a daughter and two sons. When World War II began, her husband was drafted, and Helfrid herself was evacuated half a dozen times. She was first evacuated to Fiskars. Her daughter, Laila, was sent to Denmark as a war child. When the Continuation War began, Helfrid was evacuated once again, this time to Mörskom. During the war, her husband’s taxi was destroyed, forcing him to work as a stevedore instead. After the war, food shortages in the capital became a major concern. Worried about how thin Laila had become, Helfrid decided to send her to the countryside. Laila spent several summers living with a family in Fiskars and later with another family in Pargas.

A devoted Jehovah’s Witness, Helfrid had a deep love of literature, especially the Bible. At the age of 97, she moved with her daughter Laila when Laila and her husband relocated from Helsinki to Smedsby to be closer to their children and grandchildren. A few years later, she moved to the local hospital in Korsholm.

At the age of 109, she had 10 grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.

Helfrid Eriksson passed away in Korsholm, Ostrobothnia Region, on 23 October 2018, at the age of 110 years, 122 days.

RECOGNITION

On 23 January 2017, following the passing of 110-year-old Helvi Karki, she became the oldest living person in Finland, at the age of 108 years, 214 days. She held the title until her own passing in October 2018, when she was succeeded by Saara Ahonen.

Her age has not been validated.

ATTRIBUTION

* Helfrid Eriksson (Strandborg) – Geni

* “Helfrid, 106, är äldst i Korsholm” – Vasabladet, 18 May 2015

* “Helfrid är äldst i Finland” – Hufvudstadsbladet, 23 June 2017

GALLERY

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