Family to write the story of 110-year-old's life

Karam Chand, from Bradford, was one half of the world’s oldest married couple.

He and his wife Kartari, who is 103, celebrated their 90th wedding anniversary last year.

Their son Paul said that his family had been preparing to hold a big party for his father’s 111th birthday in the coming weeks before he passed away.

Paul Chand said: “He had been healthy, he was walking and talking so it came as a shock to us.” He said he believed that the secret to his father’s long life had been his peaceful personality.

He said: “I have never known him to get angry. He was a peaceful man. In the last 50 years I cannot ever think of him having an argument. He did not get stressed in life.”

Now they are looking at producing a book which can celebrate his incredible longevity.

Karam Chand passed away at the end of last month and his funeral took place in Bradford at the weekend.

Paul Chand said: “Hundreds of people attended. He was a very well respected Bradford gentleman.

“Over the last few years we have had an open house. People have come from all over the world to meet my parents.”
The couple had 27 grandchildren and 23 great grandchildren.

Paul said: “The family have so much to thank him for and we have held big parties over recent years. We did this because we wanted to let him know what he meant to us. You have to do this when people are still here.”

The couple were from Punjab and came to live in Bradford in the mid 1960s. Mr Chand had worked as a farmer and in textiles when he came to the UK.

Paul said: “My father saw two world wars. He saw the partition of India and Pakistan. He had an incredible life which is why we want to record it all in a book because we won’t see a life like his again.”