Russia’s oldest person dies at age 118

Russia’s oldest person, Varvara Semennikova, died at age 117 on March 9. The woman would have turned 118 in May of this year. A resident of the Republic of Yakutia, the woman was recognized as the oldest of all long-living Russian citizens, Interfax reports.

Photo: Russia’s oldest person dies at age 118

Semennikova’s birth date was determined as a result of an extensive research. Varvara Semennikova (Dyakonova by her maiden name) is a native of Russia’s Evenkia Republic. She was born to a nomadic family that was making its living through deer farming and hunting.

Russia’s oldest person was married twice. All of her children died, that is why Semennikova raised three adopted children who gave her over a dozen of grand- and great-grandchildren.

Read previous story about Varvara Semennikova here

World’s oldest person, Grigory Nestor of Ukraine, died in December of 2007 at age 117. Nestor did not make it to the Guinness Book of Records, although its editors made such a promise. A record in the man’s passport said that he was born on March 15, 1891.

According to the Guinness Book of Records, the title of the oldest person living on the planet belongs to Emiliano Mercado del Toro of Puerto Rico. He died peacefully at his home in January of 2007 at age 115.

Yone Minagawa (January 4, 1893 – August 13, 2007) was a Japanese supercentenarian believed to have been the world's oldest living person from January 29, 2007 until her death of old age, aged 114 years and 221 days.

After her husband died, she raised her five children by selling flowers and vegetables at a coal mine.

Minagawa lived alone in the Momochi apartment building in Nishijin Sawara Ward, Fukuoka, near Seinan Gakuin University, until 2005, when she moved to Keijuen, a special nursing home in her native Akaike. Minagawa enjoyed playing the shamisen. Even at 114 she participated in club activities in a wheelchair and "danced" along to music.

In Japan, over 30,000 people may boast of their longevity – all of them are older than 100 years. Japan bears the palm at this point.

Prepared by Dmitry Sudakov
Pravda.ru