Jens Peter Westergaard
- Full name: Jens Peter Westergaard
- Lifespan: (26.04.1884 – 23.07.2024)
- Age: 110 years, 88 days
- Birthplace: Odense, Odense Municipality, Syddanmark, Denmark
- Last residence: Othello, Fredericia Municipality, Syddanmark, Denmark
- Application date: 26.04.2024
- Validation date: 26.05.2024
- Validation source: Wacław Jan Kroczek/Robert Young/Dejan Vujić
Biography
Jens Peter Westergaard was born in Odense (Skt. Hans), Syddanmark, Denmark on 26 April 1914. His father worked as a butcher. At the age of 105, the earliest memory he could recall was from when he was only about four years old, where he remembered hearing his father talking with his customers about World War I, although he admitted he was too young at the time to know exactly what they were talking about.
In 1944 he married Gerda Nygaard Pedersen in Odense. This marriage would last for 25 years before Gerda’s death. He would later remarry, getting engaged with another woman named Inge, with whom this marriage would last for 17 years before her death. After the death of his second wife he was in a relationship with a third woman named Nina, who also died 17 years after they met, although they never married.
He managed public transportation in his city, and oversaw the transition from trams to buses in Odense. He retired at age 70.
At the age of 104, when asked if he ever thought about the future, he replied that he had experienced everything he wanted to in life, and was against the idea of doctors trying to prolong his life. He stated that while he was content with his life in old age, he did miss being able to ride his bicycle.
He became the oldest living man in Denmark and Nordic region, following the death of 108-year-old Eloff Gyldvig Rasmussen on 9 October 2020.
He became the oldest known living person in Syddanmark region, following the death of 108-year-old Grethe Pedersen on 18 February 2021.
On 28 March 2024, he surpassed the final age of Georg Jensen (1906–2016) of 109 years, 336 days, becoming the oldest man to ever reside in Denmark, despite this he is not the oldest man ever born in Denmark, because Christian Mortensen (1882–1998) died in the USA at the age of 115 years, 252 days.
Jens Peter Westergaard moved from Odense in 2020, and died in Othello in Fredericia, Syddanmark, Denmark at the age of 110 years, 88 days. He was the oldest known living person in Syddanmark, and the second-oldest known living person in Denmark, behind Kirsten Schwalbe. He was also the last known surviving Danish man born before 1918 and the last known surviving Nordic man born before 1916.
Jens Peter Westergaard, 110th birthday.
Longevity recognition
- Doyen of Denmark (09.10.2020 – 23.07.2024)
- Longevity Recordholder (Man) of Denmark (28.03.2023 – present)
Validation
The supercentenarian case of Jens Peter Westergaards was meticulously examined and verified using modern scientific age validation criteria by Wacław Jan Kroczek, Robert Young, Dejan Vujić, and validated by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) on 26 May 2024.
Jens Peter Westergaard as centenarian.
Jens Peter Westergaard at age 109 in 2023.
Jens Peter Westergaard at age 109, two days before his 110th birthday (April 2024).
