Petra Høgetveit

BIOGRAPHY

Høgetveit was born in Stange, Innlandet, Norway, on 3 April 1910, to parents Hans Peter Kolbjørnsen Hellum and Sofie Arnesdatter Vasaasen. She had four siblings (two brothers and two sisters). One of her sisters, Karen Westad (1913–2015), lived to be 102. The siblings grew up on the farm Vie in Ottestad. At the age of 6, she stood outside in the courtyard and saw an airplane for the first time. It made a strong impression on her. Later, she learned that it had been Roald Amundsen flying the plane.

As a young woman, she spent three years in Oslo, where she worked at a nursing home among other things. During this time, she had already met her future husband, Aslak Høgetveit, through a youth group back home. The couple stayed in contact, and on New Year’s Eve, they purchased rings in Oslo before returning home for their engagement party at Vie. As she was not interested in continuing to live in Oslo, after their wedding in the summer of 1932, the couple moved to Brumunddal, where her husband was from. They went on to have three children: a son, Sveinung, born in 1934, Solvår in 1937, and their youngest son, Tor, born in 1954.

When interviewed at the age of 100, she recalled that the worst thing she experienced was on April 9, 1940, when she heard on the radio that the Germans had arrived in Norway. A few years after the war, she ended up in the hospital with a broken back after falling down the attic stairs. She returned home after two months.

At the age of 100, she had 10 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. In 2013, it was reported that Petra and her younger sister Maria were celebrating their birthdays together. Petra celebrated her 103rd birthday on April 3rd, while Maria celebrated her 100th on Good Friday, March 29th. When asked about the secret of their longevity, Petra commented, “We eat the right diet.” Her son Sveinung commented that their longevity is likely due in part to genetics, as many members of their family have experienced living a long time, including her father who died at 97.

In 2017, when she was 107 years old, it was reported that she was visited every week by her reading friend Maria. Together, they read books and talked. Her 110th birthday was scheduled to be celebrated at the Viking Ship arena in Hamar. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was celebrated at the care home instead. For the last two years of her life, she resided in a nursing home in Brumunddal.

Høgetveit passed away in Brumunddal, on 23 May 2020, at the age of 110 years, 50 days.

RECOGNITION

On 16 February 2020, following the passing of 110-year-old Marie Andersen, she became the oldest living person in Norway, at the age of 109 years, 319 days. She held the title for 97 days, until her own passing, when she was succeeded by Gudrun Nymoen.

Høgetveit’s age was verified by Jimmy Lindberg and validated by the ESO on 1 February 2021.