Ilie Ciocan (born ) is a Romanian soldier,

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

veteran, and

supercentenarian A supercentenarian, sometimes hyphenated as super-centenarian, is a person who is 110 or older. This age is achieved by about one in 1,000 centenarians. Supercentenarians typically live a life free of significant age-related diseases until short ...

, who is currently the oldest living person in

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

and the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

, as well as the oldest living World War II veteran in the world and the oldest living

European European, or Europeans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...

man. He is also the oldest Romanian ever documented. His age is verified by the

Gerontology Research Group The Gerontology Research Group (GRG) based in Los Angeles, California, US, is a global non-profit scientific organization of researchers in various fields of gerontology, primarily concerned with validating the ages of, recording and researching ...

(GRG).

Biography

Early life

Ilie Ciocan was born in the village of Cremenari, Galicea,

Vâlcea County Vâlcea County (also spelt ''Vîlcea''; ) is a county (județ) that lies in south-central Romania. Located in the Historical regions of Romania, historical regions of Oltenia and Muntenia (which are separated by the Olt (river), Olt River), it i ...

on . He had a difficult upbringing, having been orphaned first by his father at 6 years old, and then by his mother at the age of 12. He had to start working as a child to survive. He worked as a

shepherd A shepherd is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations; it exists in many parts of the globe, and it is an important part of Pastoralism, pastoralist animal husbandry. ...

in the village. At 18, he married Floarea Obogeanu, who was seven years older than him, and they were officially married on 28 January 1932, in the

Romanian Orthodox Church The Romanian Orthodox Church (ROC; , ), or Romanian Patriarchate, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox Christian denomination, Christian churches, and one of the nine patriarchates in the East ...

. Together they had six children, three daughters and three sons. His wife died in 1992, aged 87.

Military service

He was drafted into the army at the age of 22, then he was drafted into the 6th Artillery Regiment Pitești in 1935 and went to the war fronts in 1941. He participated in

as a machine-gunner and courier on the Eastern Front, in Odessa and the Don elbow, but also went to the Western Front and even as far as

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

. Following orders of general promotion issued after 1990 by the

Ministry of National Defense of Romania The Ministry of National Defence () is one of the eighteen ministries of the Government of Romania. The current acting Minister of National Defence is Angel Tîlvăr. Ministry The Ministry of National Defence is the specialized body of the ...

, Ciocan reached the rank of

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

. He could ride a

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered transport, human-powered or motorized bicycle, motor-assisted, bicycle pedal, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two bicycle wheel, wheels attached to a ...

until 90 years old. At the age of 93, he slipped in the snow and broke his leg, and successfully recovered, despite refusing to let the doctors put his leg in a cast.

Longevity records

*On 15 February 2021, following the death of 108-year-old Ioan Lascău, Ciocan became the oldest known living man in Romania. *On 2 February 2022, following the death of 109-year-old Maria Mihai, Ciocan became the oldest known living person in Romania. *On 10 June 2023, Ciocan celebrated his 110th birthday, becoming a supercentenarian. *On 13 August 2024, following the death of 111-year-old Britisher John Farringdon, Ciocan became the last surviving European man born in 1913. *On 25 November 2024, following the death of 112-year-old Briton

John Tinniswood John Alfred Tinniswood (26 August 1912 – 25 November 2024) was a British supercentenarian who was the world's oldest verified living man from the death of 112-year-old Shi Ping of China on 29 June 2024 until his own death on 25 November 2024 ...

, Ciocan became the oldest living man in Europe. *On 16 January 2025, at the age of 111 years, 220 days, Ciocan surpassed the final age of Dumitru Comănescu (1908–2020) of 111 years, 219 days, becoming the oldest validated person ever in Romania. Ilie Ciocan currently lives in the village of Bratia din Vale, Galicea, Valcea County, Romania, at the age of .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ciocan, Ilie 1913 births Living people People from Vâlcea County Men supercentenarians Romanian men centenarians Romanian military personnel of World War II Wheelchair users