Julijana Zakrajšek, Slovenia’s oldest person ever, dies at 111
The Gerontology Research Group is saddened to report news that Mrs. Julijana Zakrajšek, the oldest person ever in Slovenia, sadly died in in the village Podulaka, Central Slovenia, Slovenia on 22 July 2024 at the age of 111 years, 268 days.
Julijana Zakrajšek was born in the village of Opalkovo, Municipality of Velike Lašče, Central Slovenia, Austria-Hungary (now Slovenia) on 28 October 1912. She had five sisters and four brothers. Her mother lived to be 89 years old. As a young woman, she moved to Ljubljana where she learned how to knit. Before the World War II, she had a boyfriend, who was recruited at the beginning of the war and never returned. She never married nor had children.
She trained as a knitter and moved to Ljubljana, where worked in mostly private companies for 40 years until her retirement in 1970.
After retiring, she returned to her native village of Opalkovo, where she lived with her sister. Around 2011, they moved to live with their niece in the village of Podulaka. In the following years, both her sister and niece passed away, leaving her to live alone, but was often visited and helped by her great-niece and other relatives.
On 7 March 2019, following the death of 109-year-old Matilda Serec, she became the oldest known living person in Slovenia. In October 2022, she celebrated her 110th birthday, becoming a supercentenarian.
On 1 September 2023, she surpassed the age of Katarina Marinič (1899–2010) of 110 years, 307 days, becoming the oldest person to ever live in Slovenia.
In October 2023, she celebrated her 111th birthday, becoming the first person in Slovenia to reach the age of 111, and the second Slovenian-born person to reach this age, behind Sophie Hules (1909–2020) who died in the United States. At the age of 111, she can still walk without help.
On 29 February 2024, she surpassed the age of Sophie Hules (1909–2020) of 111 years, 123 days and became the oldest person ever born in Slovenia.
Following her death, the new oldest known living person in Slovenia is 107-year-old Marija Žekš (born 12 August 1916) of Ljutomer, Mura, Slovenia.