https://longeviquest.com/2024/10/iosif-rus-vice-doyen-of-romania-turns-109-years-old/

Iosif Rus, Vice-Doyen of Romania, Turns 109 Years Old

Gherla, Cluj County — Iosif Rus, the second-oldest living man in Romania, celebrated his 109th birthday on October 28. His birthday was first reported by Glasul Cetății.

Rus was born in the village of Ghiolt (now part of the commune of Țaga), Cluj County, Romania (then Austria-Hungary), on 28 October 1915. He was born into a family of four children. His father was a prisoner during World War I, and he lost his mother in 1918. Despite these challenges, he attended school and earned a teaching diploma after high school. He worked for a time at the Gherla Penitentiary, teaching inmates to read and write.

After completing his military training, he served as a substitute teacher in Groape, Maramureș County, and Baciu, Brașov, from 1937 to 1938. In 1939, he returned to the Gherla Penitentiary. Less than a year later, in 1940, he was mobilized and joined the 81st Infantry Regiment at the western border, where he served until the Second Vienna Award on August 30, 1940. Following this, he attended the Officers’ School of Saint George Infantry Reserve, ultimately attaining the rank of second lieutenant in the reserve.

From 1942 to 1945, he served on the front lines with the 95th Turnu Severin Infantry Regiment in the Caucasus and the Crimean Peninsula, taking part in the battles of Krimskaya and Moldovanskaya, where he sustained injuries. He was initially hospitalized in Mykolaiv (Ukraine) before being transferred to the Military Hospital in Bucharest, where he received treatment for eight months. After his recovery, he returned to the front until July 1, 1945, when he was finally discharged. Following the war, he resumed his career in education, serving as a music teacher for 43 years.

At the moment, he is the second-oldest living man in Romania, and the third-oldest resident, following Ilie Ciocan of Vâlcea County (born 28 May 1913) and Noja Paladia of Alba County (born 20 July 1915).

Happy belated 109th birthday!