| Jan Szarpala | |
 Jan Szarpala on his 105th birthday in 1987. | |
| Birth: | 27 December 1882 Ziempniów, Austria-Hungary (now Ziempniów, Subcarpathia Voivodeship, Poland) |
| Death: | 11 December 1990 Wadowice Dolne, Subcarpathia Voivodeship, Poland |
| Age: | 107 years, 349 days |
| Relatives: |  POL
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| Centenarian | |
Jan Szarpala (Polish: Szarpała) (27 Dec 1882 - 11 Dec 1990) - was a Polish centenarian, who was the oldest known living man and person in the Poland at time of his death. In addition, he was the oldest known living World War l veteran in Poland, at time of his death.
Biography[]
Jan Szarpala was born in Ziempniow (Polish: Ziempniów), Austria-Hungary (now Subcarpathia Voivodeship, Poland) on 27 December 1882. He came from a poor family. He was the son of Wojciech and Maria,née Sarnik. He had seven siblings, among three of whom were Wojciech's children from a previous marriage. In 1911 he married Agnieszka Bigda and settled in Wadowice Dolne. They had eight children, however two died in infancy. He went to school, but he attended for only two years. Teaching was conducted by a man at a level not much higher than an ordinary farmer of the time. This man taught only during the winter, since in the summer both adults and children worked hard on the field.
In August 1914, World War I began. It was then that Jan Szarpala was drafted into the army. During the hostilities, he was captured and exiled to Siberia, where he spent 3 years and 6 months. At first he worked on the farm with a farmer named Pawel Chomcinka. He was a kindand kind-hearted man. When Jan fell seriously ill and became increasingly weak, this farmer carried him on his own back for several days to the so-called banya (Russian bath). The hot baths made him sweat out his illness and he soon recovered. At this time, the authorities began to spread the word, deceiving people sent into captivity, that the war was over and they could return to Poland. Jan, despite Chomcinka's warnings, came forward, because his wife and young children were waiting in Poland. However, it turned out that he had been deceived and instead of returning to his homeland, he was transported deep into Russia near the city of Omsk, where he worked hard in the forest. There, trees were cut down, stacked, covered with clay and burned, from which charcoal was made. He lived in dire conditions then. He lived in a dugout. Everything was lacking there - people were hungry, dirty and chilled.
He returned after the war in 1918. He took care of his own farm in Wadowice Dolne. He also worked as a letter carrier and served as a councilman for three terms. He was very strict and demanding, but at the same time a good and loving father. He cared for his children. As a letter carrier, he delivered mail to the school in Wadowice Dolne, Ont, where his children studied. In this way he was able to systematically check their grades and behavior. The school was run by a married couple of teachers, originally from Ukraine (Antonina and Alexander Ivanochko). They were wonderful people, much liked by the students.
Jan became friends with them and was often invited to visit them. His daughter Zofia was the best student in the school and as a reward she was given a stint in Mielec to continue her studies.
Unfortunately, World War II broke out on the first of September and all was lost.
During World War II, Jan Szarpała and his family were displaced to the town of Lubasz near Szczucin, and then to the village of Grądy in the municipality of Boleslaw.
In 1945, when the war ended, he returned with his family to Wadowice Dolne. His family home and buildings were burned down, but he had enough determination to rebuild it.
In March in 1954, his wife Agnieszka died at the age of 63 after a serious illness.
Jan Szarpala was often invited to schools in nearby towns, where he told the students about his fate during the world wars. Such a meeting, at the request of the request of the local parish priest at the time (Kazimierz Kaczor), he also had one in the church in Ziempniów.
His son, Jan (2 February 1913 - 19 April 1998) was an activist in the ZSL (United People's Party, Polish: Zjednoczone Stronnictwo ludowe), and was later converted to the PSL.
Jan Szarpała, despite his difficult life and hard experiences, was in very good shape and physical condition (at the age of 100 he walked on his own two feet to the indulgence from Wadowice Dolne to his hometown of Ziempniów). To the end of his life he was physically fit and had a very good memory, and often recalled the difficult war times. Toward the end of his life he was constantly he was cold (he recalled that this was due to his stay in Siberia).
He became the oldest known living man and person in Poland on 6 April 1990, following the death of 109-year old Wlodzimierz Ryszard Rogosz from Krakow, Lesser Poland.
Three days before his death, he fell into a coma, from which he never awoke. He died on December 11, 1990, at the age of 107 years, 349 days, a few weeks before his 108th birthday. He was buried in the cemetery in Wadowice Dolne.
References[]
• Jan Szarpała (1882-1990) Superstulatek Forum, 11 December 2015
• Mention (p. 30-31), 2015
• Przeżył 108 lat (pdf), December 1990 (dead link)
| Poland's Oldest Living Person Titleholders (V • E) |
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Rozalia Obrebski • Katarzyna Kosiorowska • Stanislawa Sobecka • Marianna Tetkowska • Stefania Bartkowska • Michal Zatorski • Katarzyna Swider • Anna Lamacz • Filipina Niewiadomska • Rozalia Milczarek • Maria Basta • Rozalia Dyrcz • Katarzyna Wilkowa • Klara Spitzenfeil • Anna Wolanska • Jan Michalski • Frument Jaroszynski • Beata Bryl • Walenty Tasiemski • Anna Tomecka • Wiktoria Roszak • Emilia Gabrus • Jan Szarpala • Antoni Drewniak • Karolina Lucko • Zofia Martyniak • Maria Unijewska • Marta Piekarska • Kazimierz Anuszkiewicz • Helena Konowal • Stefania Grabala • Jozefa Mordacz • Jadwiga Zolotucho • Anna Klim • Franciszek Karwowski • Marianna Smolarczyk • Ludwika Kosztyla • Michalina Wasilewska • Wanda Wierzchleyska • Marianna Misiewicz • Jozefa Karczewska • Jozefa Stanislawa Szyda • Marianna Mroz • Aleksandra Dranka • Jozefa Bak • Ludwika Wasowicz • Jadwiga Mlynek • Jadwiga Szubartowicz • Tekla Juniewicz • Wanda Szajowska • Jozefa Ciesielska • Jadwiga Zak-Stewart |