✔ Age Certified by LongeviQuest
Józef/Joseph Rabenda was a Polish-born French supercentenarian who was the oldest living man in France from 2001 until his death. His age has been validated by the European Supercentenarian Organisation (ESO) and recognised by LongeviQuest (LQ).
Rabenda was born on 10 January 1892 in Piekary (Sulmierzyce), located in the Polish voivodeship of Łódź, which was then part of the Russian Empire. He spent his 20th birthday in the army, serving Tsar Nicholas II.
In 1939, Rabenda became a naturalized citizen of France. He worked several jobs, including a shoemaker, a farrier, a farmer, and a labourer. He never went to a doctor until he was 97 years old. On his 100th birthday, he was still driving his yellow Renault 4L.
Rabenda died in Montluçon, Allier, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes at the age of 111 years, 40 days.
On 24 August 2001, Rabenda became France’s oldest living man upon the death of 109-year-old World War I veteran Raymond Abescat. After his own death, he was succeeded by Jean Chevenet, 108.
In January 2002, Rabenda attained supercentenarian status, becoming the first known Polish-born man to do so. He later became the second man in France to reach the age of 111, after Emile Fourcade.
Rabenda’s age was verified by Antoine Demarais, Cyril Depoudent, Lukasz Szoldra, and Waclaw Jan Kroczek, and was validated by the ESO on 25 April 2021.
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