Supercentenarian Profile

Jánosné Kudász

Born:

1902-04-27

Budapest

Hungary

Died:

2013-03-19

Törökbálint, Pest County

Hungary

Jánosné Kudász (née Ilona Ray, later adopted as Ilona Guba) was a Hungarian supercentenarian.

BIOGRAPHY

Jánosné Kudász was born Ilona Ray in Budapest, Hungary, on 27 April 1902. She had French ancestors on her mother’s side who fled the French Revolution and settled in the highlands, where they lived for many generations. Her mother left her at the hospital, which subsequently advertised for applications from anyone willing to take responsibility for raising her. Her foster parents lived in Sóskút and already had four children at the time: János, Margit, Erzsi, and Vendel. When they brought her home, they were told that she was so small that she was unlikely to survive, but she proved them wrong. Her foster father worked as a stonemason in a quarry, while her foster mother worked as a day laborer. They raised her for twelve years. Her foster mother suffered from numerous health problems.

When she was 12, her biological mother wrote to inform her that she had married and could now take her in. She did not want to go, but her foster father accompanied her to Pest. She was told that she would be living with her biological mother, while her foster father had already been sent home. She immediately declared that she would not stay. Her foster mother came to comfort her and told her that they would return to Sóskút, but she could not take her back. At one point, she even ran away and made her way alone through the forest to Sóskút. However, the law stipulated that her foster parents could not take her back after she had run away, as they would be punished if they did so.

She stayed with her biological mother for two years. They lived on Váci út in Budapest, where the family also kept chickens. They later became caretakers of the building, and she was responsible for maintaining the residents’ register. However, she eventually decided that she would rather work in a factory. There, she operated a machine to polish screws, earning twelve pennies an hour.

She met János Kudász at a harvest festival, which began with a dance, and married him in 1925. They had a daughter, Klára. Eventually, she went to work at a pasta factory, where she kneaded 50 kilograms of flour into pasta every day. She said that the work was only particularly difficult during World War II, when there was hardly anything to eat. However, she recalled that the Russian soldiers never harmed her and, apparently, treated her well.

In 1996, she moved to Törökbálint. At the age of 108, she was reported to have one grandson and three great-grandchildren. At the time, she was said to be in very good health. She took almost no medication and, in good weather, still enjoyed walking outdoors. She could read without glasses, liked watching television, and had retained her mental sharpness. She also displayed a great sense of humor.

She believed that the secret to her longevity was her diet: she had eaten very little meat throughout her life, preferring vegetables and herbs.

Jánosné Kudász passed away in Törökbálint, Pest County, Hungary, on 19 March 2013, at the age of 110 years, 326 days.

RECOGNITION

On 6 August 2010, following the passing of 108-year-old Mária Magirius, she became the oldest living person in Hungary, at the age of 108. Upon her own passing, she was succeeded by Rezső Gallai.

On 29 October 2012, at the age of 110 years, 185 days, she surpassed the final age of Sándorné Csíki (1894–2004) of 110 years, 184 days, becoming the oldest known person ever to have lived in Hungary. She held the title until 12 May 2016, when her age was surpassed by Mária Höffner (1905–2016).