Supercentenarian Profile

Solveig Huck

Born:

1916-05-23

Plérin, Côtes-d'Armor, Brittany

France

Current Residence:

Plérin, Côtes-d'Armor, Brittany

France

Solveig Huck (née Hansen) is a French supercentenarian.

BIOGRAPHY

Solveig Huck was born in the commune of Plérin in the Côtes-d’Armor department of Brittany in northwestern France, on 23 April 1916. Her parents were Oscar Hansen (1878–1970) and Anne Elise Nilsen (1884–1985). She was baptized at the Protestant church in Saint-Brieuc on 27 August 1916. Born to Norwegian parents originally from Sandar Municipality, she grew up with two older brothers, while a third brother was born nine years later. Her father worked as an accountant for shipping brokers at the port of Le Légué, and the children were largely raised by their mother.

At the age of 17, in 1933, at the end of her third year of secondary school, she left the Saint-Brieuc Girls’ High School to improve her English, knowing it might prove useful in the future. She traveled to Wales, accompanied by her brother Einar. After returning to France, she studied shorthand, typing, and accounting. She then worked alongside her brother, who was an agent for a shipping company in Le Havre.

When World War II broke out, maritime traffic came to a halt. She became a supervisor at the girls’ teacher-training college, but after the German occupation, the students were dispersed and housed with local families. She returned to Le Légué and married Jean Huck (1914–1963) on 27 March 1943. On 2 November of that same year, her husband, parents, and brothers were arrested by the Gestapo and imprisoned in Rennes. They were released a week before Christmas, with the exception of the eldest brother, who was deported to Buchenwald.

Her first daughter was born on 26 December 1943. The couple had four more children: Hélène (1945), Édith (1946), Étienne (1952), and Sigrid (1955). In 1959, her husband succeeded in purchasing a position as a shipping broker. Tragically, he died four years later. She then took over the business and continued to run it until her retirement.