Ilie Ciocan, Romania’s oldest living person celebrated his 111th birthday
The Gerontology Research Group is pleased to announce that Mr. Ilie Ciocan, the oldest living person in Romania, the oldest living person in the Balkans and the oldest living World War II veteran in the world, celebrated his 111th birthday in the village of Bratia din Vale, Galicea, Valcea, Romania on 28 May 2024.
Ilie Ciocan was born in the village of Cremenari, Galicea, Valcea County, Romania on 28 May 1913 O. S. (10 June 1913 N. S.). Life dealt him a challenging hand, orphaned first by his father at the tender age of 6, and later by his mother at 12, compelling him to enter the workforce early to survive. Young Ilie toiled as a shepherd, earning his sustenance with what he described as a “piece of bread.” His early years were marked by hard work, particularly with “cows,” until he reached the age of 14.
At the age of 18, he married Floarea Obogeanu, who was seven years older than him, they were officially married on 28 January 1932 in the Romanian Orthodox Church. Together they had six children, three daughters and three sons. He was mobilized into the army at the age of 22, then was incorporated in the 6th Pitesti Artillery Regiment in 1935 and went to the front in 1941. He participated in the Second World War as a gunner and courier servant, on the Eastern Front, in Odessa and the Don Bend, but it also reached the Western Front and even to Czeechoslovakia.
In 1945 he was released home from the army on the grounds that he had many children. He managed to return from the front unscathed. After World War II, he received veteran status. Following the general promotion orders issued after 1990 by the Ministry of National Defense of Romania, Ciocan reached the rank of major. His wife Floarea died in 1992 at the age of 87. He rode a bicycle until the age of 90. At the age of 93, he slipped in the snow and broke his leg, he recovered successfully, although he refused to let the doctors put his leg in a “plaster”. Until the age of 103, Ciocan could read the Bible and the newspaper without glasses. In three years he lost his hearing and sight.
On 15 February 2021, following the death of 108-year-old Ioan Lascau, he became the oldest known living man in Romania.
On 15 March 2021, following the death of 108-year-old Stelios Fragiadoulakis of Greece, he became the oldest living man in the Balkans.
On 2 February 2022, following the death of 109-year-old Maria Mihai, he became the oldest known living person in Romania.
On 28 February 2023, following the death of 109-year-old Constantin Hertoiu, he became the last known surviving person in Romania born before 1915 and the last Balkan man born before the outbreak of the world war I.
On 5 April 2023, following the death of 111-year-old Ioanna Proiou-Dimitriadou of Greece, he became the oldest living person in the Balkans.
On 28 May 2023, he celebrated his 110th birthday, becoming a supercentenarian.
On 2 July 2023, following the death of 108-year-old Ramiz Selmani of North Macedonia, he became the last known surviving Balkan man born before 1915.
On 7 January 2024, following the death of 111-year-old Frenchman Andre Ludwig, he became the oldest living world war II veteran in Europe.
On 30 January 2024, following the death of 111-year-old Japanese Tsuneji Oyama, he became the oldest living world war II veteran in the world.
He is also the second-oldest known documented Romanian man ever, behind Dumitru Comănescu (1908–2020) who lived 111 years, 219 days.
