Longevity in my Danish Line of Women

This group of women with their roots in Denmark is a remarkable line.  Longevity must be in the genes, or at least for my sake, I hope it is. 

Last week’s blog was the story of my Danish 2^nd great-grandmother, Anne Elizabeth.  She was born in Denmark in 1849 emigrating when she was twenty-five.  She stayed active until quite late in life, interacting with her community as long as possible.  She died in Utah, dying at the very respectable age of 99.

Anne Elizabeth center, Emma Marie far right

Emma, my great-grandmother, was born in Denmark in 1868.  She emigrated with her mother, Anne Elizabeth, when she was six.  She married and had eight children with her husband.  When her husband died in 1913, she continued her work as a seamstress to support the family.   By 1930, the children were gone, and she and her mother lived together in Utah until her mother died in 1948.   In the following years, she lived with several of her children in Arizona and California.  Her life ended in a nursing home where she required total care, living blocks from two of her daughters.  She died at the age of 103.

            Emma’s daughter, my grandmother Gretta, was born in 1896 in Utah.  She grew up in Utah and Idaho.  She moved to Seattle, where she married.  After the birth of a child, the family moved to San Francisco.  Sometime between 1930 and 1932, she divorced and married again.  Gretta, her daughter, and her new husband lived in Colorado and Arizona.   She traveled extensively, both on her own and with her sisters.  Her final move was to California.  She lived in her apartment in a senior residence until she fell and broke her hip, eventually dying at 103.

L to R, Emma Marie, Gretta, Anne Elizabeth, child Gwen

            My mother, Gwen, was born in 1919.  While growing up, she lived in Washington, California, Utah, Colorado, and Arizona.  Following her marriage to my father, we lived in Morocco, Spain, and England.  She lived for many years in the southwest after my father’s retirement.  After my father’s death, she moved into an apartment in a senior living facility.  During the last three years, she required a high level of care, but she still knew her family and friends until her death at age 96.

          

Author’s mother, Gwen

 

        This remarkable group of women lived long, full, independent lives.  I take from each of these women lessons for my life.