| Geertje Kuijntjes | |
 Kuijntjes on her 112th birthday in 2017. | |
| Birth: | 19 July 1905 Gorinchem, Netherlands |
| Death: | 24 December 2019 Gorinchem, Netherlands |
| Age: | 114 years, 158 days |
| Country: |  NED
|
| Validated | |
Geertje Kuijntjes (19 July 1905 – 24 December 2019) was a Dutch supercentenarian whose age has been validated by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG). She was the oldest living person in the Netherlands, as well as the last living Dutch person born in 1905, since the death of 110-year old Nelly de Vries-Lammerts on 27 August 2015.
Biography
Geertje Kuijntjes was born to a family of six children, of whom only two survived; two of them died after about three months to have lived, the other two died as infants. Her younger brother, Arie Kuijntjes, died at the age of 66, just a couple of days before entering 1977.
Kuijntjes had lived in the town of Gorinchem her entire life. She was a seamstress until her retirement. Kuijntjes spent the last years of her life in a retirement home in Gorinchem, Netherlands.
Despite her age, Kuijntjes had done a lot of things after her retirement; she was still able to go on holiday on her own until age 100 and to make big journeys until the age of 102. She also lived on her own until the age of 105. Kuijntjes participated in the International Four Days Marches Nijmegen forty times until the age of 88. In 2016, at the age of 111, she was able to witness the 100th edition of the marching event with help from the 'Ambulance Wens' foundation (a foundation of volunteers who provide free last-minute requests for non-mobile terminal patients daily, using specially designed ambulances). She saved many of her earned medals (of whom one dates back to 2 July 1933, when she completed the 40km edition). Besides that, she also joined multiple marching events in other countries, such as Switzerland (Bern), Austria (Vienna) and even Israel. Kuijntjes also learned English and loved ice cream and dancing.
Despite the early death of her siblings, she and her parents reached an advanced age; her mother, Jannigje Reijnen (1880–1976), was 96 years old. Her father, Jan Johannes Kuijntjes (1873–1970), was nearly 97 years old.
On 19 July 2017, Kuijntjes celebrated her 112th birthday, making her the first Dutch supercentenarian since 2009 (after Grietje Jansen-Anker) who reached this age. On 19 July 2018, Kuijntjes celebrated her 113th birthday, making her the first Dutch supercentenarian in 15 years (after Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper in 2003) and the third one in The Netherlands overall who reached this age. On 19 July 2019, Kuijntjes became the second Dutch person, after Van Andel-Schipper, to reach the age of 114.
Kuijntjes died in Gorinchem, South Holland, the Netherlands, on 24 December 2019, at around 00:30 AM, at the age of 114 years, 158 days. At the time of her death, she was the seventh-oldest validated person in the world (behind Kane Tanaka, Lucile Randon, Francisca Celsa dos Santos, Jeanne Bot, Shigeyo Nakachi, and Antonia da Santa Cruz) and the third-oldest in Europe (behind Lucile Randon and Jeanne Bot). Following her death, Anne Brasz-Later became the oldest living person in the Netherlands.
She is currently the second-oldest validated person ever from the Netherlands, behind Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper.
Gallery
References
- Geertje Kuijntjes, 114 Photo Gallery, GRG
- Kuijntjes.nl
- Gorcumse is met 111 jaar oudste van Nederland
- Oudste inwoner van Nederland mevrouw Kuijntjes 111 jaar
- Ouder dan de Vierdaagse zelf
- Oudste inwoner van Nederland viert 112e verjaardag
- Hoera! Oudste Nederlander 112 jaar, maar hoe word je zo oud?
- Gorcumse nog steeds oudste van Nederland; 112 jaar!
- Genieten van kleine dingen op een leeftijd van 112 jaar
- Hoera! Gorcumse Geertje is met 113 jaar de oudste inwoner van Nederland
- Oudste inwoner van Nederland Geertje Kuijntjes (114) overleden