LongeviQuest is saddened to report the passing of Leny Mackenbach. She was born in Rotterdam, South Holland, Netherlands on 29 December 1912 and has recently passed away in Rotterdam at 110 years old (with reports saying she died on 7 December 2023 which has yet to be confirmed).
Following the death of 110-year-old Ebeltje Boekema-Hut on 11 June 2022, Leny Mackenbach became the oldest known living person in the Netherlands. She became the oldest known living person in the Benelux following the death of 111-year-old Magda Janssens of Belgium on 18 September 2023.
LongeviQuest is extending our deepest condolences to the bereaved family and friends of Leny Mackenbach.
LongeviQuest is saddened to report the passing of Helene Sandvig. She was born in Chaffee, Cass County, North Dakota, United States on 25 November 1911 and passed away in Fargo, North Dakota, United States on 5 December 2023 at 112 years, 10 days. At the time of death, she was the second-oldest living person in the U.S. state of North Dakota, behind Clarabell Demers.
Raised on a farm near Chaffee, Sandvig experienced a rural upbringing, tending to pigs and chickens. Her education took place in various rural schoolhouses, sometimes requiring her to alternate with siblings in staying home for housework on Mondays. Sandvig pursued a teaching career, earning her certificate from Valley City State Teachers College (now Valley City State University). At just 19, she began her teaching journey, even using a horse and buggy to pick up her students.
On her wedding day. (Source: InForum)
Sandvig’s life path shifted in 1938 with her marriage. Choosing to dedicate herself to their farm, she stepped away from teaching. Although childless themselves, the couple opened their hearts and homes, fostering several children. Their farming life took them south of Embden before settling near Leonard. When her husband fell ill in 1974, they decided to sell the farm and move into an apartment in Leonard. In 2013, at the age of 101, she moved into a nursing home.
Helene Sandvig passed away in Fargo, North Dakota, USA, on 5 December 2023, at the age of 112 years, 10 days.
LongeviQuest is extending our deepest condolences to the bereaved family and friends of Mrs. Helene Sandvig.
LongeviQuest is pleased to announce the age validation of Alfred Fregosi of the United States at age 110. He was born in San Francisco, California, United States on 11 September 1913 to Italian-immigrant parents. Fregosi excelled academically and athletically at Balboa High, participating in both baseball and soccer. After marrying in 1944, they settled in San Mateo, California. The couple shared a love for travel, spending winters in Hawaii. Fregosi’s personal interests included golfing and gardening.
Alfred Fregosi’s 1932 high school yearbook photo. (Source: Balboa High School)
Following in his family’s footsteps, he took over their business, J. Fregosi and Son Florist, running it for several decades until retirement. Beyond the flower shop, Fregosi’s diverse career included playing baseball for a city league team, working at Bank of America, and serving in the Navy during World War II on Okinawa. Fregosi was recognized in his later years for being one of the oldest military veterans in the United States.
Alfred Fregosi passed away on 19 November 2023, at his home in San Mateo, California, aged 110 years, 69 days. He is survived by his daughters and grandchildren. At the time of his death, he was one of the oldest living men in the United States.
LongeviQuest congratulates Alfred Fregosi’s family on her posthumous recognition.
For more information, please view Fregosi’s Directory Profile here.
LongeviQuest is pleased to announce the age validation of Chiyo Matsuura of Japan at age 111. She was born in Japan on 2 January 1912. She was a wife and a mother.
Despite suffering a stroke at 99 in January 2011, Matsuura made a full recovery thanks to timely medical care and rehabilitation. Later that year, she received special recognition for her age and resilience. Both Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and the city mayor presented her with congratulatory letters on Respect for the Aged Day.
Matsuura at the age of 103. (Source: blog goo)
Maintaining her independence, Matsuura continued to visit daycare twice a week in 2013 at the age of 101. Despite the frigid Hokkaido winters, she would stand outside her home, waiting for her caregivers to arrive. Assisted by her cane, she would then get into the car by herself. On her better days, she even enjoyed walks around the neighborhood. Even at 103 in 2015, she remained able to walk independently with the help of her walker. In September 2022, she was reported as the sixth-oldest living person in Hokkaido Prefecture.
Chiyo Matsuura passed away in Asahikawa City, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan, on 30 January 2023, at the age of 111 years, 28 days.
LongeviQuest congratulates Chiyo Matsuura’s family on her posthumous recognition.
For more information, please view Matsuura’s Directory Profile here.
LongeviQuest is pleased to announce the age validation of Yasu Kushima of Japan at age 111. She was born in Japan on 10 May 1901. She ran a stationery store at her home until she was in her 80s. As of 2011, at the age of 110, she had nine grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, and seven great-great-grandchildren.
Despite some difficulties with vision and hearing at 103, Kushima remained in good health and enjoyed sharing three meals a day with her family. Grapes and coffee were her favorite indulgences. Her sharp mind, honed from years of managing a stationery store, still allowed her to perform calculations with ease, even reciting multiplication tables at the age of 106. When she was at home, she would often sit in her living room and chat with friends from the neighborhood.
In September 2011, aged 110. (Source: Shizuoka Shimbun)
Kushima attributed her long life to simple pleasures: avoiding picky eating, maintaining a regular diet, and staying hydrated. Between 2004 and 2011, Kushida, the oldest person in Shimada City then, received seven mayoral visits for Japan’s Respect for the Aged Day. During her first visit at 103, she was gifted a cushion and roses. In 2005, she moved to a nursing home in Shimada City, where she continued to receive visits and gifts from officials. Despite declining eyesight and hearing, Kushima remained active through singing activities and maintained basic communication skills with family and staff. Her devoted grandson visited her daily.
Yasu Kushima passed away at her nursing home in Shimada City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, on 2 July 2012, at the age of 111 years, 53 days. At the time of death, she was the second-oldest living person in Shizuoka Prefecture, after Yasuko Kimura.
LongeviQuest congratulates Yasu Kushima’s family on her posthumous recognition.
For more information, please view Kushima’s Directory Profile here.
LongeviQuest is pleased to announce the age validation of Michiko Matsumoto of Japan at age 111. She was born in Japan on 1 February 1904. She was a wife and mother.
At the age of 99, Matsumoto received a special visit from the mayor of Saijō City, where she resided with her grandson and his wife. This visit was followed by several others, with the mayor presenting her with gifts and celebrating her longevity. Despite her age, Matsumoto remained remarkably active, climbing stairs multiple times a day. She attributed her long life to her supportive family and her enjoyment of sweets and meat.
Matsumoto (right) at the age of 110, with the Mayor of Saijō, Masaru Aono. (Source: Saijō City)
In September 2014, she was reported as the third-oldest living person in Ehime Prefecture, after Yoneno Kouno and Hikari Kataoka. Upon Kataoka’s passing in February 2015, she became the second-oldest living person in the Prefecture.
Michiko Matsumoto passed away in Saijō City, Ehime Prefecture, Japan, on 31 March 2015, at the age of 111 years, 58 days.
LongeviQuest congratulates Michiko Matsumoto’s family on her posthumous recognition.
For more information, please view Matsumoto’s Directory Profile here.
LongeviQuest is saddened to report the passing of Viorica Hogaș. She was born on 9 February 1915 and passed away in Suceava, Romania on 25 November 2023, at the age of 108. She was a wife and a mother to 1 daughter. Hogaş worked for a while as a teacher and raised her only child as best she knew, even though there were days when she had nothing to eat.
Undated. (Source: www.monitorulsv.ro)
Hogaș was the oldest known woman in Romania, following the death of 109-year-old Maria Mihai on 2 February 2022. At the time of her death, she was the second-oldest known living person in Romania, behind Ilie Ciocan (born 1913).
LongeviQuest is extending our deepest condolences to the bereaved family and friends of Mrs. Viorica Hogaș.
LongeviQuest is saddened to report the passing of Katsuko Tago. She was born in Ōmachi, Nagano Prefecture, Japan on 28 March 1910 and passed away in Higashimurayama, Tokyo, Japan on 1 December 2023 at 113 years, 248 days. At the time of her death, Tago was the oldest living person in Tokyo, Japan.
In January 2022, aged 111. (Source: Courtesy of the family)
Katsuko Tago assisted her father in running a kimono shop for several years before relocating to Tokyo. In Tokyo, she got married, and the couple had seven children. Tago played the role of a supportive housewife while her husband pursued a career as a bank branch manager.
Tago maintained an active lifestyle for over 90 years. She participated in a monthly doll-making class in her hometown. She continued expressing her creativity through crafting dolls and carving wood until the age of 103. Unfortunately, a femur fracture required her to undergo surgery. She persevered and regained her ability to walk through rehabilitation. However, two years later, another fracture led her to receive care in a nursing home.
Tago believed that her favorite strawberry-flavored chocolate was the secret to her longevity, and she ate it every day.
Her family and nursing home staff said that she lived her life with her ideas and opinions and always made all her daily decisions on her own. Until she was about 110 years old, she called her family every day to update them on what was happening at her nursing home.
Mrs. Tago’s sad news was directly confirmed through her family.
LongeviQuest is extending our deepest condolences to the bereaved family and friends of Mrs. Katsuko Tago.
LongeviQuest is delighted to announce that Germany’s oldest person ever turned 114 years old. Charlotte Kretschmann celebrated her milestone surrounded by friends and family on 3 December 2023. She holds the record as the oldest person ever to have resided in Germany.
Charlotte Kretschmann’s 114th birthday celebration (Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/C0ZdW0Kr_d2/)
Charlotte Kretschmann was born in Wrocław, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland (then German Empire) on 3 December 1909. She developed a passion for athletics during her youth. Through her involvement in an athletics club, she met her future husband. They married and had a daughter. With the outbreak of World War II, her husband was deployed to France as a soldier, while Kretschmann sought refuge westward with their daughter. Following the war’s end, the Red Cross facilitated the couple’s reunion, and they settled in Stuttgart.
Kretschmann maintained her independence well into her centennial years. However, in 2014, after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage, she transitioned to a nursing home. Despite her advanced age, Kretschmann remained an avid reader, enjoyed a glass of red wine with her meals, and had a sweet tooth for chocolate. She attributes her longevity to a combination of vigorous exercise (even during winter) and a happy childhood.
Kretschmann became the oldest living person in Germany on 18 September 2022, following the death of 113-year-old Anna Cernohorsky. On 8 February 2023, following the death of Maria Aulenbacher of South Carolina, USA, Kretschmann became the oldest living German person in the world. On 8 August 2023, she surpassed the final age of Josefine Ollmann, becoming the oldest person to ever live in Germany.
For more information, please view Kretschmann’s Directory Profile here.
LongeviQuest is pleased to announce the age validation of Bessie French of Canada at age 110. She was born in Moreton’s Harbour, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada on 8 July 1882. She was a sister, a wife, and a mother to at least 3 children.
At the age of 109. (Source: unknown / Retrieved from Facebook)
French passed away in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, on 17 September 1992, at the age of 110 years, 71 days. French is the first known supercentenarian on record to have been born and died in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. To this day, she remains the only known supercentenarian who passed away in the Province.
Emma Galode surpassed her final age on November 2, 1992, less than two months following her passing. Thus succeeding her as the new record holder for the oldest person ever born in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
LongeviQuest congratulates Bessie French’s family on her posthumous recognition.
For more information, please view French’s Directory Profile here.
