Oldest Belgian dies
Belgium's oldest inhabitant, Fernande De Raeve, passed away in Ghent last night. Fernande turned 111 only last Sunday. A party was planned for this week, but Fernande was too ill to attend.
The Ghentian was born on 3 December 1906 and was eight years old when the Great War started. Fernande survived the shelling of Ghent but was orphaned. She met her husband Emilius in 1929 and had a son and a daughter. After his death at the age of 86 she continued to live alone for a further five years, but then moved in with her daughter before entering a nursing home at the age of 96. Despite her visual impairment she was keen to live a full life and will be sorely missed.