Gustav Gerneth facts for kids

Gustav Gerneth (born 15 October 1905 – died 22 October 2019) was a German man who lived to be 114 years and 7 days old. When he passed away, he was the oldest person ever in Germany. He was also the oldest living man in the entire world.

Gustav was born in 1905 in a city called Stettin. At that time, Stettin was part of Germany. Today, it is known as Szczecin and is in Poland.

His Life and Work

During World War II, Gustav Gerneth worked for a shipping company. He also worked at a gas plant. After the war, he was held as a prisoner of war by the Russians. He was released in 1947.

Gustav married his wife, Charlotte, in 1930. She passed away in 1988. They had three sons together. All of their sons have also passed away.

Becoming the Oldest Man

Gustav Gerneth became the oldest living man in Europe on 29 January 2018. This happened after a Spanish man named Francisco Núñez Olivera passed away.

Later, Gustav became the first German person to reach 113 and then 114 years old. On 19 January 2019, he became the oldest living man in the world. This was after a Japanese man named Masazō Nonaka passed away. Masazo Nonaka was almost 12 weeks older than Gustav.

His Later Years

For more than 40 years, Gustav Gerneth lived in the same brick house. This house was in Saxony-Anhalt, a state in Germany. He passed away just one week after celebrating his 114th birthday.

Images for kids

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  Edelgard Huber von Gersdorff (1905–2018) was one of the oldest Germans ever recorded. At age 112 she was part of an awareness campaign for the EU's 112 emergency number.