| Wilhelmina Klimpke | |
 | |
| Birth: | 11 February 1912 Lydiatt, Manitoba, Canada |
| Death: | 5 April 2021 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
| Age: | 109 years, 53 days |
| Country: |  CAN
|
| Centenarian | |
Wilhelmina Klimpke (née Hartenberg; 11 February 1912 – 5 April 2021) was a Canadian centenarian who was one of the oldest known survivors of COVID-19, having recovered from the disease less than a month before her 109th birthday.
Biography[]
Wilhelmina Klimpke was born in Lydiatt, Manitoba, Canada on 11 February 1912 to Dutch immigrants William and Gertrude Klimpke. She grew up on the family dairy farm with her three sisters Annie, Augustina and Mae.
When World War II broke out, she joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1942 as a parachute rigger, eventually becoming a Corporal in charge of the parachute section in Brandon, Manitoba. After the war, she started to attending university taking courses in interior design. For a time she worked at Elmwood Furniture & Electric where she met her husband Carl.
She was married with Carl Klimpke for nearly 60 years before his death in 2010 at age 97. She was in her mid-40s when she had her two children: Joy and Bruce Klimpke.
Her sister Teenie Miller died in June 2009 at age 93. Around 2010, she moved at Charleswood Care Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
COVID-19 Survival[]
During the coronavirus pandemic, Klimpke contracted COVID-19. By December 2020, less than a month before turning 109, she had successfully recovered, making her one of the oldest survivors of the disease.
Wilhelmina Klimpke died in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on 5 April 2021 at the age of at 109 years, 53 days. She was survived by her daughter Joy Moore and son-in-law Don, son Bruce and daughter-in-law Shelley, 5 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.
References[]
- Augustina Marie "nee Hartenberg" Cornelia Miller Obituary McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, 22 June 2009
- Carl H. Klimpke Obituary Winnipeg Free Press Passages, 28 April 2010
- At almost 109, just call her Wonder Woman Winnipeg Free Press, 12 January 2021
- At almost 109, just call her Wonder Woman CBC News, 13 January 2021
- Wilhelmina Klimpke nee Hartenberg Obituary Nécrologie Canada, 8 April 2021
- Wilhelmina Klimpke Find A Grave