Switzerland’s oldest woman dies aged 112

Alice Schaufelberger, who spent most of her life in Zurich, had always been in good spirits, according to the head of the nursing home where she died at the record age of 112.

The centenarian, thought to have been the country’s oldest woman, passed away on November 16, director Iris Ritte confirmed to German-language media at the weekend. Schaufelberger was born on January 11, 1908 in canton Aargau and had worked at a health food store in Zurich.

She spent the last 20 years of her life at the nursing home in Zurich-Seebach, where she would read the Bible with a magnifying glass, Ritte told the Tages-Anzeigernewspaper. Schaufelberger was a happy and warm-hearted person, she added.

When asked the secret to happiness, the elderly woman reportedly said not to take things too seriously and not to get angry at people who are unfriendly.

If she had one regret in life, it was not to have been taller. As for her longevity, Schaufelberger put it down to nature: “I must have been well-built on the inside.”