Anne-Marie Papail

BIOGRAPHY

Anne-Marie Papail was born in the commune of Epiniac in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany, France, on 14 June 1909. She began working at the age of 14 as a waitress in the Auberge de la Higourdais, a local establishment.

In 1941, she got married, and went on to have four children. At 32, she moved to La Boussac, where she and her husband ran a farm. She stayed there for the rest of her life. There was no shortage of work for them: potatoes to plant, beets to clean, hay to gather, animals to care for, and many other tasks. These duties were all the more demanding given the limited farming equipment available at the time. Even at 82, she still milked her cows by hand; at 92, she continued tending to her garden, and at 95, she still cared for chickens and rabbits. She lived by the motto, “Work doesn’t kill” and passed this work ethic onto her children, making sure they learned the value of hard work from a very young age.

Papail lost her sight around the age of 100. By the time she turned 105, it was noted that she remained lucid and strong-willed even at that age. At the age of 107, she offered advice to the mayor during her visit: “Eat simply, but make sure to grow your own food. No water, only cider with every meal.” She also recommended grog as a remedy and chocolate as a treat. At the time, she expressed her hope of reaching 110 years old. At the age of 110, she had ten grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren.

Anne-Marie Papail passed away in La Boussac in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany, on 11 April 2021, at the age of 111 years, 301 days.

RECOGNITION

Papail’s age was verified by Cyril Depoudent, Laurent Toussaint, and Luc Le Lay (Les Grands Centenaires Français), and was validated by the ESO on 30 October 2020.