103-year-old Emil Hopner survives two world wars and two pandemics to get second vaccine dose

Emil Hofner never drank or smoked, and attributes his longevity to “good preventative health care.”

On Wednesday evening, Hofner and his son Ben Hofner returned to Levi’s Stadium to obtain his second COVID-19 vaccination. He didn’t suffer any side effects from the first shot, and was happy that he could be protected. Hofner has been laying low since the pandemic began, said that he feels comfortable to go out more now and have lunch with his son Ben on Sundays.

“I’ve never met someone so optimistic despite experiencing some of the most tragic atrocities the world has ever seen,” Ben said.  “He’s always been able to find the silver lining and highlight it as a blessing in disguise.”

To say that Emil Hopner has been through a lot is perhaps an understatement.

Hopner, 103, of Los Gatos, was born on Dec. 29, 1917 in what is known as Croatia today. Hopner, who is Jewish, lost 30 family members to the Holocaust, including his parents. He fled from the Nazis by keeping on the move and crossing borders, even barking like a dog at the border guard dogs to get past them. He faked appendicitis, told Italian border police he was Gestapo, and was arrested and jailed for nine months when his Jewish identity came to light in Switzerland.

“I thank God every day for helping me to survive,” Hopner said.

After World War II, he went to work at IBM’s Almaden Research Center and the Advanced Systems Development Division. He also worked on the first iterations of email, digital mobile communications, color videophones and color televisions before retiring from IBM in 1987.

His first wife Heidi passed away in 1991, but while visiting her grave at Los Gatos Memorial Park, he met another mourner, Hui-Lin Li, 58, whom he married in 1993. They live together at their home in Los Gatos where she helps care for him.

“I’m still in good shape because my wife takes are of me every day, she’s a piece of gold,” Hopner said. “She’s absolutely wonderful.”

Judy Peterson contributed to this report.