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Sally Szemenciak

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Sally Szemenciak
Sally Szemenciak
Birth: 5 April 1912
Sloan, New York, USA
Death: 8 April 2023
Sloan, New York, USA
Age: 111 years, 3 days
Country: United StatesUSA
Validated

Celestine "Sally" Szemenciak (née Siemankowski, formerly Bowman; 5 April 1912 – 8 April 2023) was an American supercentenarian who was one of the oldest known survivors of COVID-19, having recovered from the disease at the age of 108. Her age was validated by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) in 2024.

Biography[]

Sally Szemenciak was born in Sloan, New York, USA on 5 April 1912 to Frank and Rose (née Rusinski) Siemankowski. She was baptized on 7 April 1912 at St. Stanislaus Church, in Sloan, New York. She married Stewart Bowman in April 1933. They had at least five children. He died in October 1961. She married for a second time in December 1962 to Peter Szemenciak. He died in 1992.

COVID-19 Survival and After[]

Szemenciak lived at Beechwood Continuing Care in Getzville, New York, USA. Due to visitor restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, her family stood outside the dining room doors while celebrating her 108th birthday in April 2020.

In May 2020, Szemenciak tested positive for COVID-19. She suffered a loss of appetite, and her weight reduced from 96 to 80 pounds (44 to 36 kilograms). In early June, her daughter began to make plans for her funeral, and she was given the last rites by a Catholic deacon. However, by mid-June, Szemenciak had twice tested negative for the virus and was moved back to her room. At 108 years old, she was one of the oldest known people to have recovered from the disease.

At the time of her 110th birthday in April 2022, Szemenciak had eight grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren, and 12 great-great-grandchildren. Szemenciak died on 8 April 2023 in Sloan, New York, USA, three days after 111th birthday. At the time of her death, she was the third-oldest known living person in the U.S. state of New York, after Louise Levy and Rose Girone.

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