The oldest living Swede just turned 110
Happy Birthday Ruth! Cheers to Ruth on her birthday. She has lived a life full of variety, loved to wear heels and beautiful hats. And now she’s celebrating her 110th birthday and is, thus, the oldest living Swede. The celebrations will take place today at the Rio nursing home in Stockholm. On Ruth’s wish list? A glass of sherry. Born in Nybro, Ruth was always interested in fashion.
“My mother was a hat maker and had her own boutique when she met my father, Folke, in 1920,” says Ruth’s son Per Engström, who is 72.
In an upcoming book by Henrik Ennart called “Åldrandets gåta” (The riddle of aging), Ruth says: “He was tall and handsome. I was 18 years old, fell in love and got pregnant right away. You have to be a bit crazy and silly when you’re young…” With Folke, Ruth had a life full of adventure. “Dad got a job with Tändsticksbolaget (the Swedish match company) and was sent to India in 1922 or 1923. The next time he left was in 1926, when mom and he had married, so mom joined him. I was born in Calcutta in 1940. In 1946, the family moved home and mom became boss of the house,” Per Engström continues. Until she was 102 years old, Ruth lived alone in her 1-bedroom apartment. But after that, it was time for the nursing home Rio at Gärdet in Stockholm. When asked what he will get his mother for her 110th birthday, Per says: “That’s a good question. It’s not like you’re going to buy something she will use for a long time in the future. So it’ll be flowers, I’ve bought roses.”