Hildegard Rau, Germany’s second-oldest living person, dies at 111

The Gerontology Research Group (GRG) is saddened to report the passing of Mrs. Hildegard Rau of Leingarten, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany, on 29 July 2024, two days before her 112th birthday.

Hildegard Rau was born in Grossgartach (now a neighbourhood of Leingarten), Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany on 31 July 1912.

Rau took care of her husband for a long time at home. After being widowed, she continued to live in her home alone, before moving to a retirement home at the age of 100. She has said that if she knew she was going to live so long, she would have come later.

At the age of 107, Rau was still walking outside every day with a walker, when the weather was good. In January 2021, at the age of 108, she received the COVID-19 vaccine, making her one of the oldest known people to receive the vaccine. On her 110th birthday in 2022, Rau received a congratulatory certificate from Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. At the time, she still had a clear head, and was interested in what was happening in Germany and around the world.

On 23 July 2024, following the death of 113-year-old Erna Brosig, she became the second-oldest living person in Germany, behind Charlotte Kretschmann.

Hildegard Rau lived in a care home managed by the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund in Leingarten, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany.