BIOGRAPHY

Bertoletto was born in La Chapelle-Anthenaise, Mayenne Department, Pays de la Loire Region, France, on 1 January 1911. She had one sister, Marie, and two brothers, Robert and Ernest. The family moved to Montsûrs, Mayenne, Pays de la Loire, in 1913.

On 25 May 1935, she married an Italian immigrant, Désiré Alphonse Désiderio Alfonso Bertoletto in Montsûrs. Her husband was the proprietor of a construction company. She was widowed in 1978. The couple had no children.

Bertoletto lived in her own house until she was 105 years old, when she spent an entire night struggling to mop up water after a flood. Following this incident, she moved into the nursing home in Montsûrs. At the age of 112, she spent most of her time in her bedroom chair, engaging in activities such as reading and watching television, particularly programs focused on nature. She was reported to be experiencing deafness, making communication challenging, but her mind remained sharp.

When asked about the secret of her longevity, she and her family attributed it to various factors. One of these was chocolate. The second was maintaining a careful appetite and diet, focusing on low-meat foods, drinking a glass of water every morning, and regularly consuming tea and coffee. Additionally, engaging in physical activity, often through domestic tasks like cleaning or gardening, played a role. Her nephew added that he wasn’t sure if these practices constituted a longevity secret, but they were simply how she had always lived.

RECOGNITION

On 17 January 2021, following the passing of Marie-Louise Berthelot, she became the oldest known living person in Mayenne Departement.

Bertoletto is currently the second-oldest known living person in Pays de la Loire, as well as the second-oldest known living person in France, after Marie-Rose Tessier.

Her age was verified by the Les Centenaires Français, and validated by the ESO on 5 April 2023. The validation was confirmed as valid by LongeviQuest on 29 February 2024.

ATTRIBUTION

* Andrée Juliette BELLAYER – Geneanet

* “Andree Bertoletto, doyenne mayennaise a 111 ans depuis le 1er janvier” – Ouest-France, 2 January 2022

* “Andree supercentenaire, rencontre avec la doyenne de la Mayenne et vice-doyenne de France” – La Mayenne, 15 May 2023

* “A la santé d’Andrée Bertoletto, vice-doyenne de France, qui a fêté en famille ses 113 ans à Montsûrs” – France Bleu, 24 January 2024

GALLERY