| Annette Ahrends | |
 | |
| Validated |
Annette Ahrends (2 October 1909 – 22 March 2020) was a German supercentenarian whose age was validated by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) in 2022.
Biography[]
Annette Ahrends was born in Asel, Province of Hanover, Germany, on 2 October 1909. She had five siblings. She and her family lived from agriculture. Even though these times were difficult, she had a great childhood and was thankful that she never had to go hungry.
She remembered the time when the First World War broke out: The men were standing on the street and the women were crying. I was five years old then. You do not forget that.
Ahrends loved to go to school, but spent no more than eight years at school due to her mother being seriously ill. Despite being ill, Annette's mother reached the advanced age of 90 and her father died at age 85. Annette survied a serious illness herself when she was 104.
Ahrends worked in a food, fruit and vegetable business in the north of Germany as a sales assistant for nine years. During this time, she met her husband Tebbe, whom she married on Christmas Eve 1939. First they lived in a rented apartment and in 1957, they built their house in Wittmund. Her husband worked in the navy during World War II. He came back unscathed, for which she was very grateful. Annette and Tebbe had two children: Hilda (born in 1941) and Edith (born in 1946). Tebbe died at the age of 79. She has two grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and a great-great-grandchild. Unfortunately, a granddaughter died early.
She lived in her own house until she was 103. Since then, she lives in a retirement home. When she was declared the oldest inhabitant of the district of Wittmund when she was 108 years old, she described that title as a gift from God. She liked to take part in games, birthdays and music events. At the time of her death, Ahrends was still mentally alert and her secret to a long life was to never overeat and always drink milk.
Annette Ahrends died on 22 March 2020 in Wittmund, Germany at the age of 110 years, 172 days.
References[]
- 108-jährige Wittmunderin nimmt Alter als Gottesgeschenk Anzeiger für Harlingerland, 11 October 2017
- Wittmunderin Annette Ahrends wird 110 Jahre alt Jeversches Wochenblatt, 2 October 2019.
- Traueranzeigen von Annette Ahrends Nordwest Trauerportal