At rest at last

South Africa’s oldest man Oupa Fredie Blom has been laid to rest on Saturday.

The 116-year-old Delft oupa received a hero’s farewell from family and friends as mourners flooded his humble Toplands Street home to get a last glimpse of his face.

The service was held at his home and the coffin then went straight to the Lake Road Cemetery where he was buried.

The beloved oupa died at his Delft home on Saturday morning, 22 August, after a short illness.

Earlier that week Fredie’s family told the Daily Voice his advanced age had finally caught up with him after he stopped eating and was bedridden for two weeks.

Delft Senior Forum spokesperson and family friend Gadija Francis says knowing oupa Blom all these years has been a humbling experience that brought her great joy: “The funeral was heartbreaking, we took oupa Blom as our own grandfather and his words to us were always, ‘thank you for always being there for me and my family over the last 10 years, you guys made my years happy.’

“He always spoke a lot about the youth having to respect the elderly and we are privileged to have known oupa Blom.

“He was happy and always said he was ready for God to come get him.”

She says Fredie’s wife Janetta, 87, was grieving but is satisfied with God’s will.

“Thank you to ouma Blom too, for giving us the last chance to assist with his funeral and thank you to all that helped.

“We gave oupa Blom what he wanted, a dignified send-off.”

A red carpet led up to the house and family and friends wore white T-shirts with oupa Blom’s face on it, along with his birth and death dates.

Family friend André Naidoo adds: “We also printed a book of all his pictures but because of time limits and lack of resources it is mostly a collection of pics and we could only print 116 copies."

Oupa Blom, who worked as a gardener until 106, celebrated his 116th birthday on 8 May.

Previously, the Fredie told the Daily Voice how he survived the Spanish Flu, which claimed millions of lives in 1918.

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