| Gustav Gerneth | |
 Gerneth on his 109th birthday in 2014. | |
| Birth: | 15 October 1905 Stettin, Prussia, German Empire (now Szczecin, Poland) |
| Death: | 21 October 2019 Havelberg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany |
| Age: | 114 years, 6 days |
| Country: |  POL GER
|
| Unvalidated | |
Gustav Gerneth (15 October 1905 – 21 October 2019) was a German supercentenarian whose age is currently unvalidated by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) and Guinness World Records (GWR). He was believed to have been Germany's oldest living man since the death of 108-year-old Erich Walde on 9 August 2013 and the oldest living person in Germany since the death of 110-year-old Herta Oeser on 13 March 2016. If validated, he would be the oldest man ever to be born and die or living in Germany. Gerneth would have also been the oldest living man in Europe (and possibly the world), and possibly be the oldest World War II veteran in the world at the time of his death. However, his age remains unvalidated as of 2024.
Biography
Gustav Gerneth was born on 15 October 1905 in Szczecin [German: Stettin] in the province of Pomerania, Prussia, which was then part of the German Empire but is now Poland. There, he was trained as machinist and started his career by seafaring in 1924.
In 1930, he married his wife Charlotte Grubert, the daughter of his employer who owned a ship anchored in Havelberg. The couple raised three sons in Stettin, again. Mr. Gerneth serviced in World War II and was captured by Russian corps until 1947. Later the family moved to Havelberg and Gerneth worked in the local gas plant until his retirement in 1972. His wife died in 1988.
At the time of his 110th birthday in 2015, Gustav Gerneth was the seventh German man to become a supercentenarian. He was reported to have outlived his sons, being in their 80s, by the age of 109. Until the age of 107, he purchased everything on his own. Later, his family started taking care of him but Gerneth was still able to take care of himself, being interested in today's politics and sports.
On 15 October 2017, Gustav Gerneth may have become the first German man ever to have reached the age of 112. If his age is true, he could have been the first ever German-born person to turn 113 (not counting emigrants) and the first man in the world since 2011 who turned 114.
Following the death of Masazo Nonaka on 20 January 2019, Gerneth became a candidate to the title of the world’s oldest man, as well as possibly the last surviving man born in 1905.
On his 114th birthday in 2019, he expressed his wish to celebrate his 115th birthday in 2020. Being asked for his secret of longevity, Gerneth trusted in good meals (always butter, never margarine), no alcohol or cigarettes but also no active sports.
At the age of 114, he was reported living still on his own in Havelberg, inhabiting the same apartment for more than 45 years. His granddaughter took care of him.
Gustav Gerneth died in Havelberg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany on 21 October 2019 at the age of 114 years, 6 days.
Gallery
References
- Jahresbrief 2005 Heimatverein Havelberg, 22 December 2005
- Gustav Gerneth feiert seinen "107." Volksstimme, 16 October 2012
- Herr Gerneth steht mit 109 noch am Herd Volksstimme, 16 October 2014
- Ich bin 109 und schmeiße den Haushalt selbst Bild, 28 November 2014
- Deutschlands ältester Mann Gustav Gerneth feiert 111. Geburtstag Rundschau online, 15 October 2016
- Ältester Deutscher ist ein Havelberger Volksstimme, 15 October 2016
- Opa Gustav wird heute 113 Jahre alt Bild, 15 October 2018
- Mit 114 ist er der wohl älteste Deutsche Stuttgarter Nachrichten, 15 October 2019
- „Ältester Mann der Welt“ gestorben: Er feierte gerade noch Geburtstag - dieser Wunsch bleibt unerfüllt Extratipp, 22 October 2019 (Archived)
| Germany's Oldest Living Man Titleholders (V • E) |
|
Karl Glockner • Unknown • Josef Callenberg • Mathias Bollinger • Unknown • Johann Hartlieb • Adolf Lange • Karl Pfeiffer • Johann Wost • Friedrich Wedeking • August Schmidt • Wilhelm Deffner • Karl Bulow • Fritz Witt • Heinrich Oppermann • Ernst Schutt • Wenzel Novotny • Otto Trost • Peter Schmitt • Friedrich von Rauchhaupt • Wilhelm Gazioch • A. Hermann Lange • Ernst Laurenty • Gustav Rupnow • Robert Hubener • Wilhelm Lehnen • Jonathan Richter • Wilhelm Schorner • Lorenz Imminger • Georg Bredtschneider • Hermann Dornemann • Robert Meier • Wilhelm Remmert • Rudolf Christmann • Georg Thalhofer • Franz Kunstler • Georg Rosenkranz • Hermann Mayer-Kaupp • Erich Berger • Richard Hinz • Friedrich Volmer • Martin Dressel • Paul Veit • Bernhard Prott • Erich Walde • Gustav Gerneth • Heinrich Homann • Hans Schornack • Karlheinz Stauber • Karl Haidle • |