A great-grandfather who is believed to have been the third oldest man in London has died at the age of 108. Michael Klanga, was staying at the Anastasia Lodge Care Home in Enfield. According to website Oldest Britain, he was the 10th oldest man in Britain.
Born on new year’s day in 1907, in the town of Analyonda in Nicosia, Mr Klanga moved to London from Cyprus in 1956 with his two eldest sons, Andrew and Kostas, and the following year, was joined by his wife and three other children.
Mr Klanga set up a grocery store in Camden Road, which he continued to run until he retired in his late 80s.The family moved to Chingford in the 1980s, and the property is still owned by the family. Until 2010, Mr Klanga lived on his own with routine visits from his family but, at the age of 103, he moved to the care home in Winchmore Hill.
Mr Klanga’s son Kostas Michael, in his 70’s said: “He was very pleased to receive a telegram from the Queen two years ago.”
In November 2014, he featured alongside eight other centenarians in a photo shoot by world-famous photographer David Bailey for the Observer newspaper.
And up until recently, Mr Klanga enjoyed his guilty pleasure of drinking red wine with every meal – a reason his family says why he has lived for so long.
Mr Klanga has 18 grandchildren and 21 great grandchildren.
His funeral will take place on Wednesday 15 July 2015 at 10.00am at the Greek Orthodox Church of St Demetrios, Town Road/Logan Road, London N9 0LP and the burial at New Southgate Cemetery.