Gustav Gerneth

Gustav Gerneth
Born15 October 1905
Stettin, German Empire (now Szczecin, Poland)
Died21 October 2019 (aged 114)
Havelberg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
NationalityGerman
OccupationWorld War II-veteran

Gustav Gerneth (15 October 1905 – 21 October 2019) was a German World War II-veteran and possibly the oldest man ever in Germany, as well as the world's oldest man at the time of his death. However, his age is not validated by Guinness World Records and the Gerontology Research Group.

Gerneth worked in a shipping company and at a gas plant during World War II. He was a Soviet prisoner-of-war until 1947 when he was released from imprisonment. He married his wife Charlotte (died in 1988) in 1930 and the couple had three sons, all of whom now deceased.

On 29 January 2018, following the death of 113-year-old Francisco Núñez Olivera of Spain, Gerneth became the oldest living man in Europe.

On 20 January 2019, following the death of 113-year-old Masazō Nonaka of Japan, Gerneth became a candidate to the title of the world’s oldest man, as well as possibly the last surviving man born in 1905.

Gustav Gerneth died in Havelberg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, on 21 October 2019 of natural causes, aged 114 years and 6 days, believed to have been the world's oldest man, although Guinness World Records has not verified his case.

References

  1. ↑ Schröder, Andrea (16 October 2014). "Herr Gerneth steht mit 109 noch am Herd" [Mr. Gerneth, at 109, is still cooking]. Volksstimme (in German). Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  2. ↑ "Gustav Gerneth aus Havelberg ist der älteste Deutsche" [Gustav Gerneth from Havelberg is the oldest German]. Bild (in German). 28 November 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  3. ↑ "Deutschlands wohl ältester Mann 113 Jahre alt geworden" [Germany's oldest man has turned 113 years old]. Die Welt (in German). 15 October 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  4. ↑ "Gustav Gerneth aus Sachsen-Anhalt ist ältester Mann der Welt" [Gustav Gerneth from Saxony-Anhalt is the oldest man in the world]. Berliner Zeitung (in German). 20 January 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  5. ↑ Demetriou, Danielle (21 January 2019). "World's oldest man dies in Japan, aged 113". Telegraph. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  6. ↑ Flemm, Daniel (23 October 2019). "Ältester Mann der Welt – Mit 114: Gustav Gerneth stirbt eine Woche nach seinem Geburtstag" [Oldest man in the world – At 114, Gustav Gerneth dies one week after his birthday]. Augsburger Allgemeine (in German). Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  7. ↑ "114-Jähriger aus Havelberg gestorben" [114-year-old from Havelberg dies]. Volksstimme (in German). 22 October 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2025.