Karen Svisdal
- Full name: Karen Marie Svisdal
- Lifespan: 16.12.1889 – 23.02.2000
- Age: 110 years, 69 days
- Birthplace: Vistdal, Nesset Municipality, Møre og Romsdal fylke, Norway
- Last residence: Sunndalsøra, Sunndal Municipality, Møre og Romsdal fylke, Norway
- Application date: 25.01.2006
- Validation date: 14.03.2009
- Validation source: Dag Hoelseth
Biography
Karen Svisdal was born as the youngest of four children on a small farm in Vistdal, Møre og Romsdal, Norway on 16 December 1889. Her parents were Lars Olsen Berset and Kari Aslaksdatter. Her father died when she was a young child. At the age of 12, Karen had to leave home to support herself.
In 1915, she married her first husband Teodor Hansen Hoven. They had a son during the marriage. Teodor died just a year later on 11 March 1916. In the early 1940s, she married her second husband Paul Svisdal. In 1974, they moved to Sunndalsøra, Møre og Romsdal. Paul died in 1975.
Karen Svisdal became the oldest living person in Norway following the death of 108-year old Amund Vermedal on June 12, 1998.
Svisdal died in Sunndalsøra, Møre og Romsdal, Norway on 23 February 2000 at the age of 110 years, 69 days. At the time of her death, she was the oldest living person in Norway.
Longevity Recognition
- Doyenne of Norway (12.06.1998– 23.02.2000)
Validation
The supercentenarian case of Karen Svisdal was meticulously examined and verified by Dag Hoelseth, and validated by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) as of March 14, 2009.
Karen Svisdal; undated photo
Karen Svisdal’s gravestone in Hov, Sunndal, Møre og Romsdal.
