List of German supercentenarians

Living German supercentenarians

There are currently ten reported living German supercentenarians.

Living German emigrant supercentenarians

There are currently three living German emigrate supercentarians.

German supercentenarians

Entries for people who are living are rendered in italics.

German emigrant supercentenarians

Entries for people who are living are rendered in italics.

Friedrich Wedeking

Karl Friedrich Wedeking (10 October 1862 – 5 May 1973) was one of the first German supercentenarians. He was born in Blomberg and died in Dortmund. He was one of the founding members of the gliders club, which was started in 1931 and is still active in Blomberg today.

He was the oldest living man from 21 March 1968, following the death of John Mosely Turner, until Wedeking's death at age 110 years, 207 days. Wedeking was succeeded as world's oldest living man by Frederick Butterfield.

Adelheid Kirschbaum

Adelheid Kirschbaum (29 September 1883 – 21 December 1996) was the oldest person born in Germany ever before Charlotte Benkner; before her Katharina Braun was the record holder. She was born in Neuwied and died in New York City. Kirschbaum also was the oldest Jewish person ever before Goldie Steinberg and Evelyn Kozak.

Maria Laqua

Maria Laqua (12 February 1889 – 9 February 2002) was a German supercentenarian who is the oldest person ever to be born and die in Germany.

Maria Laqua was born in 1889 in Rheydt-Odenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, as one of 13 children. She worked as housemaid, married and gave birth to two children in the 1920s. Her husband Charles died in 1958. Their both sons fell in the Second World War. Laqua lived for 35 years in a retirement home in Bad Hönningen, Rhineland-Palatinate and died in her sleep, three days before her 113th birthday. She was only survived by a great-niece who attended her regularly. It was reported that Laqua was in need of care, bedridden and not accessible during her last years. Nevertheless there were also good days when Maria Laqua had a flash and spoke. During a visit of a bishop for example, she had spoken at once and told a lot.

Anna Stephan

Anna Stephan (25 March 1892 – 3 August 2003) was a German supercentenarian who was born in Altenteich, Bohemia as one of 12 children. Stephan married twice and gave birth to four daughters. In 1945, the Sudeten German family was evicted from their home. With 50 kilogram of luggage, Anna Stephan fled with her husband and children to Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, Germany. After the Second World War, she went into the forest every day to gather wood and she also knitted and patched farmer’s clothes so that her family got something to eat. Anna Stephan lived on her own until the age of 106 and died in a retirement home in Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz nearly 5 months after her 111th birthday. She was outlived by three daughters, nine grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and 13 great-great-grandchildren.

Frieda Schmidt

Frieda Schmidt (15 December 1899 – 6 November 2010) was a German supercentenarian who was the oldest person in Germany from the death of Zhenya Broytman on 25 October 2010 until her death on 6 November 2010 at the age of 110 years and 326 days. Schmidt was born in Bergsdorf, a district of Zehdenick, Brandenburg, where she also died. According to a newspaper she had once worked as a service maid for Philip, Prince of Eulenburg. During her life she lost her only husband in 1951 and two daughters. Frieda Schmidt spent her last years in her daughter’s home and busied herself with needlework. At the time of her death she had eight grandchildren, thirteen great-grandchildren, four great-great-grandchildren and one great-great-great-grandchild. Also a sister of Schmidt was living in Berlin.

Karolina Gröber

Karolina Gröber (27 April 1901 – 21 November 2011) was a German supercentenarian who was the oldest person in Germany from the death of Charlotte Bauch on 2 May 2011 until her own death on 21 November 2011 at the age of 110 years and 208 days. Gröber was born in Lechhausen, which became a part of Augsburg, Bavaria, in 1913, where she spent most of her lifetime. In 1906 she met Louis III who visited Augsburg for the celebration of its incorporation into the Kingdom of Bavaria 100 years previously in 1806. Gröber began a dressmaking apprenticeship before World War I but did not graduate because it was not possible to acquire material and also to sell clothes. She married in 1927 and gave birth to one daughter ten years later. Gröber was in good health until her 100th birthday in 2001. Then she had two hip fractures she never recovered from. Gröber suffered also from dementia. She spent the last years of her life in poor health in a nursing home in Augsburg where she died.

Elisabeth Schneider

Elisabeth Schneider (19 August 1901 – 9 February 2013) was a German supercentenarian who was the oldest person in Germany from the death of Karolina Gröber on November 21, 2011 until her own death on 9 February 2013 at the age of 111 years and 174 days. She was born in Bad Oeynhausen, North Rhine-Westphalia, in 1901 and had two sisters. She married in 1923 and gave birth to a daughter two years later. Schneider lived on her own until the age of 97. At her 111th birthday she was asked for the secret of her longevity as the oldest living German supercentenarian and replied laughing that others just would have given up gasping for breath. On 9 February 2013, she died in a retirement home in Varel, Lower Saxony. Schneider was outlived by her daughter, two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Gertrud Henze

Gertrud Henze (8 December 1901 – 22 April 2014) was a German supercentenarian who had been the oldest living person in Germany from the death of Elisabeth Schneider on 9 February 2013 until her death on 22 April 2014. The former librarian was born on Rügen and never got married or gave birth to a child. She was still in good condition and lived in a retirement home in Göttingen since 1993 where she was well-liked by many residents for her open and life-affirming attitude. Henze traced her longevity to reading a lot, having lively contact with other people, enjoying sometimes a cigarette and a glass of wine and never marry. She celebrated her 112th birthday only with some friends and relatives because the public interest in consequence of her birthday the year before was too exhausting. She enjoyed reading, even with the help of a magnifying glass. Nevertheless of physical limitations Henze was able to walk with the help of a walking frame to meet acquaintances and friends for having a chat. Henze died on 22 April 2014 at the age of 112 years and 135 days. She bequeath her body for genetic research to science.

Frieda Szwillus

Frieda Szwillus, née Hennig, (30 March 1902 – 21 September 2014) was a German supercentenarian who had been Germany's oldest living person from 22 April 2014 until her death 5 months later, aged 112 years, 175 days. In 1902 she was born in Dessau, today in Saxony-Anhalt, as Frieda Hennig and had 6 siblings of whom three reached almost 100. In 1908 she and her family moved to Erla. Szwillus was married two times, raised one biological and three step-children and outlived all of them. Frieda Szwillus has always lived modestly and sparingly. One reason for this might be that she worked for less money in a hosiery mill.

At the end of 2011 Szwillus was bedridden for some weeks but recovered. Until her later years, she was living at home in Raschau with her family and she needed no medicine. Mrs. Szwillus was in a good physical but not mental condition in consequence of suffering from dementia. Szwillus’ family traced her longevity to having a lively family life. She often visited her siblings but never went on vacation. Furthermore Szwillus was only physically active during her youth. She also enjoyed knitting and embroidering. She died on 21 September 2014 at age 112 years and 175 days.