Oldest Belgian dies just before her birthday
Anna De Guchtenaere, officially Belgium's oldest resident, has passed away in Zwijnaarde (Ghent). This was confirmed by the old people's home where she was staying. Anna De Guchtenaere was born on 10 April 1904 in Ledeberg (Ghent) and would have turned 111 this week.
The city of Ghent had celebrated her 110th birthday last year. On that occasion, the head nurse of the nursing home where she was staying confirmed that she didn't swallow more than 1 pill each day.
The old lady still spoke English on a regular basis, as her parents fled to Great Britain during the First World War. Anna De Guchtenaere studied music and played the violin as background music during silent movies. She worked as a secretary later on, had a son and a daughter, 5 grandchildren and several great grandchildren.
Ghent has 52 local centenarians now: 4 men and 48 women. If all goes well, another 23 Ghent residents will join the club this year as they celebrate their 100th birthday.