BIOGRAPHY

Kleemeier was born as Martha Kix in Windfeld, a small town in Vlotho, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, on 3 April 1913. Her mother died at an early age, and she assumed a parental role to her younger siblings whilst also helping on the family farm. She attended the second-oldest school in the nearby village of Valdorf.

Kleemeier and her husband, Heinrich, remodeled and moved into a house in Valdorf. The couple had four children: Two sons, Siegfried and Gerhard, and two daughters, Christel and Hanna. Kleemeier was widowed in February 1993.

In May 2010, aged 97, Kleemeier moved into a nursing home in Vlotho. At the time of her 106th birthday, she had outlived her two sons. Along with her two daughters, she had six grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and two great-great-granddaughters. At the age of 107, she was reported to still be mentally sharp and can complete daily routines with little assistance.

RECOGNITION

Kleemeier was noted for her longevity on her 106th and 107th birthdays. She was confirmed privately to have attained supercentenarian status in 2023.

Kleemeier’s age was verified by Georg Fürholzer and validated by LongeviQuest on 1 May 2024.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Feier mit fünf Generationen” – Westfalen-Blatt, 5 April 2019
* “Martha Kleemeier über 100 Jahre” – Geschichte Vlotho, April 2020
* Obituary – WB-trauer.de

GALLERY