Century-old and grateful Ásta Sigurhildur

Heartfelt congratulations

Ásta Sigurhildur Magnúsdóttir celebrated her 100th birthday on 3 November. To mark the occasion, Mayor Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir visited the birthday girl this week and presented her with a bouquet of flowers and some sweets. Together, they, along with Ásta's daughter, Hafrún Dóra Júlíusdóttir, enjoyed a pleasant time chatting about the good old days and the various family and friendships in beautiful the Fjord last few decades.

„It is very rewarding to meet the people who built the town and have left their mark on its history and community. Ásta Sigurhildur is a very warm and cheerful woman and is in good health. It was a pleasure to chat with Ásta, who remembers the old days and lives for her children and family.“ says Rósa.

A Hafnarfjörður resident for eighty years

Ásta Sigurhildur, a country girl born in 1924 at Móakot in Staðarhverfi, Grindavík, has lived in Hafnarfjörður for eighty years. After a upbringing with traditional farm work and household chores, Ásta began farming with her husband, Júlíus Sigurðsson, a captain and foreman, at the age of twenty in 1944 at Skerseyrarvegur 1 in Hafnarfjörður, where their first five children were born. Júlíus and Ásta married in 1945. They later lived at 12 Holtsgata, where their youngest daughter was born, and subsequently at 8 Arnarhraun, which was their home until their children had flown the nest. The couple then built a small detached house in Hrauntunga, where they lived until they moved to Hraunvang 3 at Hrafnista in Hafnarfjörður. Júlíus and Ásta were keen travellers, both around the country and abroad, either on their own or with their family, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Júlíus died in January 2019, and Ásta lived alone in their flat until she moved into a beautiful home at Hrafnista in August 2023, aged 99. Ásta was a homemaker while her children were growing up. Ásta worked in the laundry at Sólvang for 20 years and in the laundry at Hrafnista for 10 years, until she retired. Ásta Sigurhildur is a wealthy woman; she has 14 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren and 7 great-great-grandchildren.

Seven residents of Hafnarfjörður aged 100 or over

Five residents of Hafnarfjörður are celebrating their 100th birthdays in 2024, one their 101st and one their 102nd. In total, seven residents of Hafnarfjörður are still celebrating life as centenarians. The population of Hafnarfjörður today is 32,052 and is growing.