Erna Zahn | |
![]() Zahn on her 113th birthday in 2021 | |
Birth: | 14 April 1908 Winnebago County, Wisconsin, USA |
Age: | 114 years, 84 days |
Country: | ![]() |
Validated |
Erna Zahn (née Miller; born 14 April 1908) is an American supercentenarian whose age is validated by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG). She is currently the oldest known person living in the U.S. state of Minnesota.
Biography
Erna Zahn was born in Winnebago County, Wisconsin on 14 April 1908 to Henry and Olga (née Kloehn) Miller. She had one older brother, Herbert, and two younger sisters, Adeline and Marjorie. As a young girl, she enjoyed horseback riding, often on Sunday afternoons, and sewing and swimming. Some of her favorite historical moments she’s had include riding in the rumble seat of a car from home to Mount Rushmore, while it was still under construction.
She married Meilahn Zahn in 1935. He was head of the Martin Luther College music department from 1962 to 1975. The couple had six children, four sons and two daughters. Her husband died in 1982. Longevity runs in her family: her mother died at the age of 95, and both her sisters died at the age of 97.
Zahn became the oldest known person living in Minnesota following the death of 112 year-old Evelyn Kleine on 7 December 2019. On 13 June 2021, at the age of 113 years, 60 days, Zahn surpassed the age of Bertha Harris to become the oldest person born in the state of Wisconsin. On 21 June 2022, at the age of 113 years, 68 days, she surpassed the age of Anna Stoehr to become the oldest person ever to reside in the state of Minnesota.
Zahn's age was verified by Robert Young and Waclaw Jan Kroczek, and validated by the GRG on 8 January 2022. She currently lives at Oak Hills Living Center in New Ulm, Minnesota, United States, at the age of 114 years, 84 days. She is currently the fourth-oldest living validated person in the United States, behind Bessie Hendricks, Mila Mangold, and Edie Ceccarelli.
Gallery
References
- 109 and counting The Journal, 14 April 2017
- Zahn becomes a super centenarian The Journal, 15 April 2018
- 111-year-old Celebrates Birthday With Four-Legged Friends KEYC, 14 April 2019
- Zahn believed to be Minnesota’s most senior resident The Journal, 21 December 2019
- 111 years of wisdom: New Ulm woman believed to be oldest Minnesota resident Mankato Free Press, 22 January 2020
- Minnesota’s most senior citizen turns 113 The Journal, 12 April 2021
- Oldest Minnesotan celebrates 113th birthday with pie in Sleepy Eye The Free Press, 14 April 2021
- Minnesota’s oldest resident turns 113 KEYC, 14 April 2021
- Erna Zahn Happy 114th Birthday today (her second golden Birthday)! Oak Hills Living Center on Facebook, 14 April 2022