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Jeno Jenovay
Jeno Jenovay
Jenő Jenovay on his rings at age 105.
Birth: 17 September 1893
Bela Crkva, Austria-Hungary (now Serbia)
Death: 4 November 2000
Budapest, Hungary
Age: 107 years, 48 days
Country: SerbiaSRBHungaryHUN
Centenarian

Jeno Jenovay [Hungarian: Jenovay Jenő] (17 September 1893 – 4 November 2000) was a Serbian-Hungarian centenarian who was the oldest living man in Hungary at the time of his death.

Biography[]

Jenő Jenovay was born in Fehértemplom, Austria-Hungary (present-day Bela Crkva, Serbia) on 17 September 1893 to father Jenovay Jenő and mother Bonisch Ilona. His grandfather lived to be 92 and his father lived to be 85. He was one of six siblings. He had a troublesome father, who eventually emigrated to the United States, but returned to Hungary years later.

In the absence of the father, the family moved a lot across the country. Jenő got a locksmith qualification at age 18. During WWI, he made grenades 12 hours a day in a factory in Diósgyőr (present-day Miskolc). There, he also met his future wife, Gizella. They got married in 1917 and had at least one daughter.

Jenő participated in the 1919 Hungarian–Czechoslovak War. As a consequence of the war, he suffered from several illnesses such as tuberculosis. As a cure, he took up vegetarianism as advised by a naturopath. Due to his diet, he saved at least 100 animals from being killed during his life according to his estimations.

In 1925, Jenő and his family moved to Budapest. There, he worked for 42 years as a mechanic and repairman first at the Piarist friary, and after the communist takeover at the Eötvös Lóránd University. He retired at age 75. At age 106, he was still living in a ground-floor flat of the university and ate at the canteen of the institution.

Jenő lived a very active life. As a nonagenarian, he gave talks about his lifestyle. He had a very rigid morning routine as a centenarian. After getting up, he fed the pigeons in his garden, ate walnut with honey and did exercises consisting of yoga, push-ups and hanging on steady rings. Besides his hearing loss, he had no health issues at all. At age 100, Jenő had eight great-grandchildren and was visited by his daughter weekly.

He became the oldest living man in Hungary following the death of 106-year-old Zsigmond Kun on 2 January 2000.

Jeno Jenovay died in Budapest, Hungary on 4 November 2000 at the age of 107 years, 48 days. Following his death, then 105-year-old Karoly Molnar became the oldest known living man in Hungary.

Gallery[]

Reference[]


Hungary's Oldest Living Man Titleholders (VE)

Geza Penzes • Unknown • Janos Puskas • Unknown • Henrik Havasi • Unknown • Zsigmond Kun • Jeno JenovayKaroly Molnar • Jozsef Petho • Gyorgy Laszlo • Gergely Andras Molnar • Anonymous • Gusztav KarolyJozsef Pelles • Rezso Gallai • Tibor Kosa • Miklos Angelus • Antal Ribnikar • Elemer SpieglerJozsef Kasalyak • Jeno Homonnay • Bela Csendes • Jozsef Standovari • Anonymous • Ferenc Bako

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