Lina Anundsen

BIOGRAPHY

Lina Anundsen was born in the village of Siljan, in Telemark county, Eastern Norway, on 12 November 1914, to parents Ole Edvardsen (1882–1963) and Inga Larsdatter (1881–1950). She was the fourth of nine siblings, four of whom died at a young age. Her siblings were: Edvard (1907–1982), Nelli (1909–1910), Nelli (1911–2005), Lars (1916–1993), Arthur (1919–1921), Ingebret (1920–1921), Arthur (1922–1923), and Asbjørn (1925-2006). She was baptized at Siljan Church on 24 January 1915. Her father was a leaseholder. In her youth, she loved dancing, but after several preachers visited, she became a devout Christian and attended the village prayer house for many years.

In the mid-1930s, she spent each summer gardening with a friend, a one-hour walk from the village of Siljan. Together, they cared for five cows, which they milked twice a day. She spent her days making cheese and cooking prim. Beginning at age 16, she spent her summers working with the cows from Midsummer until autumn. She later remarked that she had enjoyed this work greatly. In 1934, at the age of 20, she married a truck driver named Gunnar and had six children over the next 19 years. Their children were: Lillian (born 22 March 1935), Ingrid (born 24 February 1937), Solveig (born 4 January 1943), Bjørn (born 23 January 1945), Anne Lise (born 17 October 1951), and Ole Gunnar (born 24 April 1954). Her husband passed away in 2002, aged 89.

At 101, she moved to a nursing home in Siljan. When asked about the secret to her longevity, she remarked that she believed it was due to drinking plenty of fresh milk from the family’s cows in her youth. At the age of 108, it was reported that her hearing had deteriorated, but she remained clear-minded. By then, she no longer followed the news, noting that she didn’t need to because her children kept her updated. At 110, she had 12 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren, and 10 great-great-grandchildren.