Remembering Vidar Eide: Norway’s Oldest Man Passes Away at 109

– He was always so kind. It is hard that he is gone, but we saw which way it went towards the end, says grandson Britt Eide to NRK.

The grandson says that Vidar Eide died after a short period of hospitalization, in his care home in Hardanger on Tuesday 27 February. Until last year, he lived at home and fended for himself.

The 109-year-old leaves behind six children, 17 grandchildren, 36 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

– He did not die alone. Family members sat with him in shifts until the end, says Britt Eide.

It was Hordaland Folkeblad who mentioned the matter first.

IDYLL: Until Vidar Eide was 108 years old, he lived in the house he was born in, and managed mostly by himself, the family says.

Photo: Lidvard Sandven / NRK

The secret: Precious drops

Vidar Eide was born in Tørvikbygd in Hardanger on 3 July 1914.

It was only a few days after the famous shootings in Sarajevo, which triggered the First World War.

Grandchild Britt Eide remembers his grandfather as a socially engaged man, right up to the end.

– He told about the Second World War and how it was in relation to the war in Ukraine. More locally, he was very concerned about what happened to the farm he and generations before him had run, she says and adds:

– I am trying to run the farm to the best of my ability now.

In an earlier interview with NRK, dairy farmer Vidar Eide pointed to the importance of avoiding stress and drinking milk every day, as the recipe for a long life.

– Milk was definitely what kept him alive at the very end. He struggled with a poor appetite, but he liked milk all his life, says Britt Eide and adds that she takes her grandfather’s life tips with her.

Burial in the home village

For the Eide family, it is difficult to understand that he who lived “the longest of all” and who was always there, has suddenly disappeared.

On Friday 8 March, Vidar Eide will be buried in his home village of Tørvikbygd.

– The funeral is going to be difficult. He is deeply missed. I just hope he knows how happy we were in him, says Britt Eide.

MISSING: Britt Eide feels the tears welling up when she talks about her grandfather who is now gone.

Photo: Lidvard Sandven / NRK

Norway’s oldest

Since 2020, Vidar Eide was Norway’s oldest living man.

In 2022, he also became Norway’s oldest living person, according to teacher and hobby researcher Vilhelm Gravdal.

According to him, Lina Anundsen (born 12 November 1914) is now Norway’s oldest living person. Odd Borlaug (born 31 March 1917) is Norway’s oldest living man.

Maren Bolette Torp is considered Norway’s longest-lived person of all time. She died aged 112 years and 61 days on 20 February 1989.

– There is no official register for who are Norway’s oldest people, but we are several hobby researchers like me who try to provide insight through, among other things, Wikipedia, says Vilhelm Gravdal to NRK.

GOOD GENES: Vidar Eide and his classmates pictured. Of Vidar Eide’s four siblings, two of them also lived to be over 95 years old.

Photo: Britt Eide
2024-02-28 12:24:16


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