Tekla Juniewicz

Tekla Juniewicz

Tekla Juniewicz shortly before turning 110.

Validated

Tekla Juniewicz (née Dadak; born 10 June 1906) is a Polish supercentenarian who is the oldest ever person in the history of Poland whose age is validated by the Gerontology Research Group. She surpassed the previous record of 111 years, 317 days — set by Wanda Wierzchleyska — on 24 April 2018. She subsequently became the first validated supercentenarian in Poland to have reached both the age of 112 and 113.

Juniewicz has been the oldest living person in Poland since the death of Jadwiga Szubartowicz on 20 July 2017.

Biography

Tekla Juniewicz was born as Tekla Dadak, the daughter of Jan Dadak (son of Bazyli and Eufrozyna) and Katarzyna of the home of Szkwyrko (daughter of Bazyli and Ewa), on 10 June 1906 in the town of Krupsko. This town then was located in the Austria-Hungary; Mrs. Tekla was born, therefore, as the subject of Emperor Franz Joseph. After regaining independence (1918), Krupsko was part of Rozdol Commune, Zydaczow County, Stanislawow Voivodeship of the Second Republic of Poland. In 1945, it was joined to the USSR, and after 1991 it is in the Lviv region of the independent Ukraine.

In Krupsko, Mrs. Tekla spent the first years of her life, and two younger sisters, Rozalia and Katarzyna, were born there. Her father worked for Count Lanckoronski, mother took care of the house. Mrs. Tekla mentions her as a very beautiful woman. Unfortunately, she died during the First World War. At that time, little Tekla went to the school of Szarytki Sisters in Przeworsk, where she learned to sew, embroider, and help in the kitchen. The sisters used to call Mrs. Tekla "Kluska"; they were very good to her and replaced her mother, who she lost prematurely. After many years, she often visited them with her own daughters. In Przeworsk she also met her future husband, Jan Juniewicz, whom she married on 28 February 1927.

After the wedding, they moved to Boryslaw, where Juniewicz took a job in the earth wax mine. Despite the 22 years of difference between spouses, the marriage was very happy. In 1928 and 1929, two daughters came into the world: Janina and Urszula. Mrs. Tekla often visited Warsaw, having the opportunity to participate in parades with the participation of Jozef Pilsudski. She did not like stagnation, she was always on the move. She liked cinema, playing cards and social life. She also read a lot and practiced her own garden. A happy family life was interrupted by the outbreak of World War II. Mrs. Tekla mentioned that both wars were terrible, but the second was incomparably more, because in the first there was not the ruthlessness and mass destruction on such scale. She left her home in November 1945 when, together with her first repatriation, she and her family came to the regained territories.
Initially, they planned to settle in Walbrzych, but at the instigation of friends, they got off in Gliwice, where Jan Juniewicz got a job at the Sosnica mine. Mrs. Tekla took care of the home and raising her daughters. Her husband died in 1980 at the age of 96. Mrs. Tekla lived alone until she was 103 years old. Then her grandson Adam moved in to help her with her daily activities.

On 10 June 2016, Tekla Juniewicz turned 110, becoming the first supercentenarian in the contemporary history of Silesia Voivodship. The birthday party, in which the jubilate took part with full commitment, took place in a local restaurant in Sosnica. In June 2017, she turned 111. On 20 July 2017 111-year old Jadwiga Szubartowicz of Lublin died and Tekla Juniewicz became the oldest living person in Poland. On 22 April 2018, Tekla Juniewicz broke the national record of longevity in Poland, which belonged to Wanda Wierzchleyska of Warsaw (1900-2012), also from the Lviv region. Her age has been validated by the Gerontology Research Group on 16 May 2018. According to modern standards, the date of birth was confirmed by sources from different periods of her life. The action to find the original birth certificate from 1906 was undertaken in cooperation with the family of Mrs. Juniewicz, through the mediation of the General Consulate of the Republic of Poland in Lviv. On 10 June 2018, Tekla Juniewicz turned 112, becoming the first person in the history of Poland to have achieved this milestone.

On 10 June 2019, Tekla Juniewicz turned 113. On this occasion, she received a congratulory letter from Prime Minister of Poland. One day later, she surpassed the age of Astrid Zachrison, becoming the oldest person to have ever lived in the Baltic Sea region. In Aug. 2019, Tekla Juniewicz was visited by Prime Minister of Poland.

Following the death of Anna Benericetti of Italy, Tekla Juniewicz became the 4th oldest living person in Europe and she also enterned the validated Top 10 world's oldest living people. Following the death of 114-year old Geertje Kuijntjes of the Netherlands, Juniewicz became the third oldest living European. On 12 May 2020, she surpassed the age of Goldie Michelson (1902–2016), becoming the oldest validated person born in Ukraine.

Gallery

Tekla Juniewicz as a young woman.

Tekla Juniewicz at age 100.

Tekla Juniewicz with Waclaw Jan Kroczek in 2016, shortylu before her 110th birthday.

Tekla Juniewicz at age 111 with her grandson Adam Stachowski.

References

• World Supercentenarian Rankings List Gerontology Research Group
• Najstarsi Polacy
• Tekla Juniewicz z Gliwic ma 110 lat [ZDJĘCIA] Druga najstarsza Polka! TVS, 9 March 2016
• Najstarsza Polka mieszka w Gliwicach. Ma 112 lat. Najstarsi Polacy, 11 June 2018
• Tekla Juniewicz, oldest validated person ever to live in Poland, celebrates 113th birthday Gerontology Research Group, 28 June 2019

Poland's Oldest Living Person Titleholders (V • E)

Rozalia Obrebski • Katarzyna Kosiorowska • Stanislawa Sobecka • Marianna Tetkowska • Stefania Bartkowska • Michal Zatorski • Katarzyna Swider • Anna Lamacz • Filipina Niewiadomska • Rozalia Milczarek • Maria Basta • Rozalia Dyrcz • Katarzyna Wilkowa • Klara Spitzenfeil • Anna Wolanska • Jan Michalski • Frument Jaroszynski • Beata Bryl • Anna Tomecka • Wlodzimierz Rogosz • Jan Szarpala • Karolina Lucko • Zofia Martyniak • Maria Unijewska • Marta Piekarska • Wladyslaw Ratman • Agnieszka Wojcik • Helena Konowal • Stefania Grabala • Jozefa Mordacz • Jadwiga Zolotucho • Anna Klim • Franciszek Karwowski • Marianna Smolarczyk • Ludwika Kosztyla • Michalina Wasilewska • Wanda Wierzchleyska • Marianna Misiewicz • Jozefa Karczewska • Jozefa Stanislawa Szyda • Marianna Mroz • Aleksandra Dranka • Jozefa Bak • Ludwika Wasowicz • Jadwiga Mlynek • Jadwiga Szubartowicz • Tekla Juniewicz • Wanda Szajowska • Jozefa Ciesielska • Anna Gawlowska