Story By: Ana Marjanovic, Sub-Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency: Newsflash
A woman who lived through two world wars and is verified as the world’s second-oldest living person has just turned 116.
Tekla Juniewicz, who lives in Gliwice in southern Poland, celebrated her latest birthday on Friday, 10th June.
She was born in Krupsko, near Lviv, in what is now Ukraine and what was then Austria-Hungary in 1906.
In her time, Tekla has watched empires, Nazis and Communists fall.
She has been verified as the oldest Polish woman and the second-oldest living person in the world.
She received a letter from Polish President Andrzej Duda and first lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda on her special day wishing her good health and happiness.
The couple wrote (in Polish): “May you always be accompanied by the kindness of your relatives and human gratitude.
“As the oldest living Polish woman and one of the oldest people in the world, you are a witness to history and a great example of how beautiful and rich human life can be.
“Your warmth and optimism can be a shining example.”
They signed off: “Thank you for continuing to share your experience and kindness.
“We wholeheartedly wish you the next few years in good health and prosperity among your loved ones. Plurimos Annos!”
Tekla moved to Gliwice with her husband Jan Juniewicz, 22 years her senior, and family during the post-World War II evacuations and expulsions.
She had attended a school for orphans in Przeworsk after her mother Katarzyna died during World War I at the age of just 30 and her father had to leave for work.
She was eight when World War I broke out, 12 when Poland regained independence, 21 when she tied the knot, and 33 when World War II began.
The couple had two daughters, Janina and Urszula, in 1928 and 1929 respectively. Tekla ended up outliving both Janina, who died in 2016, and Janina’s husband.
She lived alone following the death of her husband at the age of 103, but she is now cared for by her grandson and granddaughter.
She underwent biliary tract surgery twice, aged 111 and 113. She is believed to be the oldest patient who has successfully had this operation.
The Los Angeles-based Gerontology Research Group has verified Tekla’s age with the help of her family and the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Lviv.
The world’s verified oldest living person is Lucile Randon of France, who was born on 11th February, 1904.
