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Esther Groneman

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Esther Groneman
Esther Groneman
Groneman (front, age 110) on her 110th birthday with relatives on December 18, 2023.
Birth: 18 December 1913
Kansas, USA
Death: 29 February 2024
Lincolnville, Kanas, USA
Age: 110 years, 73 days
Country: United StatesUSA
Validated

Esther Groneman (née Krause; 18 December 1913 – 29 February 2024) was an American supercentenarian who was the oldest known living person in the U.S. state of Kansas at the time of her death. Her age is validated by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG).

Biography[]

Esther Groneman was born as Esther Krause on 18 December 1913 in Lincolnville, Kansas. Her parents were Emil Krause and Augusta (Schlesener) Krause. She was the ninth child of eleven children and was raised on a farm just a mile away from where she presently lives. She married Arthur Groneman on 11 June 1935, with whom she had four children. She comes from a long lived family, with four of her siblings living to at least 95. Her mom lived to the age of 92.

In the late 1930s, Groneman and her husband began operating the farm together. They sold large quantities of eggs, raised ducks, and grew fresh produce. The farm only got electricity in 1946, a feature which amazed Groneman's daughters at the time. Groneman would also sew dresses for her daughters out of chicken feed sacks; she created her own patterns and frequently hand quilted and pieced whenever necessary.

Groneman's husband died on 2 May 1989. At the age of 99, she continued to maintain her farm with the aid of her oldest daughter and took only one medication for blood pressure. She had already outlived her other ten siblings by this point.

Groneman was a long-time member of St. John's Lutheran Church, located in Lincolnville. Just prior to her 100th birthday, she attributed her longevity to hard work and exercise. As a centenarian, she enjoyed eating pies, cinnamon rolls, and other desserts that her eldest daughter baked for her.

In the summer of 2021, Groneman fell and had to be admitted into the hospital. However, other than occasional chest pain, she had remained largely without any health problems.

Groneman celebrated her 110th birthday on 16 December 2023, two days before her actual birthday. At this time, she had lived in her own house for 88 years and got around with a walker. She had poor hearing but still read the newspaper on a weekly basis.

At the time of her 110th birthday, Groneman's children ranged in age from 76 to 87 years old, with Lois Groneman being her oldest daughter. Her 81-year-old son Arthur manages the farm that she was born on in 1913. Additionally, Groneman has six grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, and seven great-great-grandchildren.

Groneman died in Lincolnville, Kansasa, USA on 29 February 2024, at the age of 110 years, 73 days.

Longevity Records[]

Upon the death of Margaret Hollenshead on 28 April 2023, Groneman became the oldest known resident of Kansas. However, the oldest living person born in Kansas is Michigan resident Bonita Gibson.

References[]

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