Hendrikje "Henny" van Andel-Schipper (born June 29, 1890) is the oldest person ever in the Netherlands and as of August, 2005, is the oldest recognized person in the world. She lives in Hoogeveen.

Van Andel-Schipper was born as Hendrikje Schipper in 1890 in Smilde, a small village in Drenthe. When she was born she was very weak. Thanks to the continuous care of her grandmother during her first four weeks, she survived. On her first day at school at the age of five she got sick again and she was removed from school on advice of a local doctor. Her father, who was head of the local school, taught her reading and writing.

Henny van Andel-Schipper lived with her parents until she was 47 years old. At the age of 46, she met her husband Dick van Andel, who worked in Amsterdam. She left her parents' home at the age of 47 and married Dick van Andel at the age of 49 in 1939. Since then, she has been named van Andel-Schipper. She had a love of theatre from a young age but after her Mother objected decided not to pursue a career in acting teaching needlework instead.

During World War II she and her husband moved to Hoogeveen. Her husband died from cancer in 1959.

She is nearly deaf and blind.

She is a big fan of the soccer club Ajax Amsterdam since she visited a soccer match of Ajax more than 80 years ago.

She became the oldest recognized woman in Europe on the death of Maria Teresa Fumarola Ligorio in May 2003, and the oldest recognized person in Europe on the death of Joan Riudavets in March 2004. The death of Charlotte Benkner in early May 2004 left her second-oldest recognized in the world behind Ramona Trinidad Iglesias-Jordan, whose death later that month left her apparently the world's oldest. It was the first time since the 1980s that no one had been recognized as over 114. Her 114th birthday in June 2004 was widely publicized.

Quote

On her 113th birthday, when asked the secret of how she had lived so long, she replied: "Breathing."
On her 114th birthday, when asked the secret of how she had lived so long, she replied: "A herring each day, and orange juice."

External links

• Expatica news story