Marie Jensen
- Full name: Marie Elisabeth Børsting Jensen
- Lifespan: (05.06.1904 – 30.01.2015)
- Age: 110 years, 239 days
- Birthplace: Grønning, Skive Municipality, Midtjylland, Denmark
- Last residence: Sevel Skovby, Holstebro Municipality, Midtjylland, Denmark
- Application date: 15.06.2014
- Validation date: 20.03.2017
- Validation source: Waclaw Jan Kroczek
Biography
Marie Elisabeth Børsting Jensen was born in Grønning, Salling, Midtjylland, Denmark on 5 June 1904. She was seven years old when she got notice from her teacher about the Titanic disaster. In 1925 she moved to the farm in Sevel Skovby, where she lived until her death. In 1927 she married Christen E. Jensen. They had one son, Kristian. Her husband died in 1965 at the age of 72. Since her sons death around 2005 she lived with her daughter in law, Grethe Jensen. Marie became the oldest living person in Denmark after the death of Agnes Steenstrup on 1 March 2014.
Marie Jensen died in Sevel Skovby, Holstebro Municipality, Midtjylland, Denmark on 30 January 2015 at the age of 110 years, 239 days. At the time of her death her sister Dagny was still alive at age 97. After her death, 109-year-old Signe Hoejer became the oldest living person in Denmark.
Marie Jensen: A Remarkable Journey Through a Century
Sitting in her cozy living room, with a neatly pressed shirt, hair perfectly styled, and heirloom jewelry adorning her fingers and neck, Marie Jensen hardly appears as someone about to celebrate her 110th birthday. Denmark’s second-oldest citizen, Marie herself, finds it hard to believe that she’s reaching yet another milestone.
“Imagine, I’ve lived here for over 80 years. That’s quite a long time,” she exclaims, laughing at the thought of her advanced age.
Marie Jensen has lived on the farm in Vinderup, Holstebro for exactly 86 years—more than a lifetime for most Danes. She vividly recalls the summer of 1928 when she and her husband, Kristen, who was twelve years her senior, married and moved into the farm. The memory of their first meeting is also crystal clear.
“It was more like he met me. I knew him well because he used to go hunting with my brother. But one day, he came home for dinner, and that’s when he met me. We got married the following year,” Marie recalls.
Blushing slightly, she admits it was love at first sight. “Yes, I believe it was,” she says.
Marie Jensen has witnessed many of the 20th century’s historic events, with World War II standing out the most. She can still remember the sound of the German airplanes flying overhead on the day Denmark was occupied in 1940.
“Oh yes, they flew right over our farm. It was terrible. We listened to the radio every day to keep up with the news, and we saw many people being taken to concentration camps,” Marie recounts.
As she knits a blanket in the very room where the radio crackled over 70 years ago, Marie shows little sign of being burdened by her age. She remains sharp and mentally active.
“Having a clear mind is almost the most important thing. There are many people younger than me who are in worse shape or suffer from dementia. I don’t think it’s so bad to turn 110,” she reflects.
A Lifetime of Hard Work
Marie Jensen is among the 1,000 Danes over the age of 100, according to Statistics Denmark, a number that is expected to double in the next 20 years due to improved living conditions and healthcare. Marie has never smoked or indulged in alcohol, but she has certainly led an extraordinary working life.
“I’ve been working since I was a little girl. We didn’t have much money back then, but my father managed to buy two horses so we could plow the fields. We ended up with 14 cows, which was a lot at the time. Some days, we had to stay home from school to help our father with the work. As he used to say, we might as well make ourselves useful,” says Marie, who was the second eldest of six siblings.
Marie happily shows off the many dusty family photos hanging on the wall behind her. She points to a picture of a little girl with a sullen expression.
“I must have been in a bad mood that day,” she laughs, noting that her mother sewed all of her clothes.
In another photo, she and Kristen are standing in front of their farm in Vinderup, and the conversation quickly turns back to the hard work.
“We had only one farmhand; the rest we managed ourselves. I hoed the beets, tied up the harvest, and took care of the cattle. I worked from early morning until late at night and never had a day off. But I was used to it,” Marie says.
As the photographer’s camera flashes, Marie looks around the room, slightly disoriented. “That’s enough with all these pictures now,” she says, glancing down at her hands, marked by age and time.
Tragedy and Resilience
In 1931, the hardworking Marie Jensen gave birth to her first and only child, Kristian.
“It was quite easy,” she recalls, describing Kristian as a much-wanted child, born in the middle of the night.
Like his father, Kristian became a farmer. So it was only natural that he and his wife, Grethe, moved into the farm in Vinderup after their marriage in 1958. The four of them enjoyed life on the farm, where everyone pitched in. Marie fondly shows the family photos from those years, especially one of her and Kristen standing on the family’s land. But tragedy struck just seven years later when Kristen succumbed to a long illness.
“We had just returned home from the hospital when they called to say he had died. He died all alone,” Marie says.
With tears in her eyes, she recounts the difficulty of buying an urn and arranging the funeral for her husband, with whom she shared a loving marriage for 37 years.
“It was just as hard when my son Kristian died eight years ago. I’ve lost the two most important men in my life. But thankfully, no one can take away the memories,” says Marie.
As time seems to stand still in Marie’s living room, only the ticking of the antique wooden clock on the wall, next to all the family photos, reminds them that time is still moving forward.
“Well, I think that’s enough for today,” Marie says quietly.
Today, Marie Jensen shares the farm in Vinderup with her 78-year-old daughter-in-law, Grethe. Every day, a home care worker comes to help, but Grethe handles most of the work.
“Grethe takes care of me completely. She washes me, cooks, and keeps the house in order,” Marie says proudly.
While Grethe manages the household chores, Marie spends her days knitting and reading the newspaper. In the evenings, she enjoys watching ‘The Simple Life’ or ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,’ and she loves to play along.
Up until a year ago, Marie could still move around the house with her walker. But in April 2013, doctors had to amputate her leg above the knee due to circulation problems, so she now uses a wheelchair.
“I often forget that I’m missing a leg. I’m happy with life, so it doesn’t really bother me much,” says Marie.
The Joy of Family
Marie Jensen is also certain that the key to her long life lies in her genes.
“Both of my aunts lived to be over 105 years old, and my sister Dagny is 97. So it definitely runs in the family,” she says.
Visits from her grandson, Arne Jensen, also keep Marie active and bring her great joy.
“It brings a fresh breeze into a rather dull day. And it makes me especially happy when he brings news about the great-grandchildren,” Marie smiles.
Marie Jensen will turn 110 years old on Constitution Day, June 5th. A large tent will be set up in the farm’s garden for the party, so the entire family and all her friends can celebrate with her. However, the birthday girl is not spending too much time thinking about the big day. She doesn’t want to dwell on how much longer she will be Denmark’s second-oldest citizen.
“It’s been many years since I stopped thinking about my age. I might die tomorrow or the day after. Or I might live for many more years. But as long as I’m healthy and well, it’s not so bad being Denmark’s second-oldest,” says Marie Jensen.
Marie Jensen at age 110.
Longevity recognition
- Doyenne of Denmark (01.03.2014 – 30.01.2015)
Validation
The supercentenarian case of Marie Jensen was meticulously examined and verified using modern scientific age validation criteria by Waclaw Jan Kroczek, GRG Correspondent for Poland and Nordic Countries, and validated by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) on 20 March 2017.
Marie Jensen as centenarian.
