BIOGRAPHY

Franziska Bruno was born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary (now Austria) on 19 December 1911. She never knew her biological parents and was raised in a foster family.

Around the age of 30, she met Jean-Baptiste Bruno in her native Austria. In 1945, Jean-Baptiste returned to France, where he worked at a gas station before offering his services to a shoemaker. He promised to return once World War II ended, and true to his word, he did. The two were married, and in 1946, she moved to France, settling in Fréjus. She never had children of her own, but her husband had two daughters who eventually gave them grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

In France, she quickly found employment as a chambermaid at the Excelsior Hotel, where she worked until the age of 60. In the 1970s, she fell ill and retired permanently. Afterward, she and Jean-Baptiste began traveling through a local association, visiting Portugal, Spain, and many other destinations together. Sadly, shortly after they started their travels, her husband suffered a heart attack and passed away. In October 2022, at the age of 110, she expressed a wish to visit the Excelsior Hotel once more, where she had worked.

On her 110th birthday, she was awarded the City Medal by Patricia Hauteur, Deputy Delegate for Social Affairs, on behalf of the Mayor. When asked about the secret to her longevity, she credited it to her love for others and for animals. At the time, she was a resident of the the Hermitage retirement home in Saint-Raphaël.

Franziska Bruno passed away in Saint-Raphaël, Var, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France, on 5 March 2023 the age of 111 years, 76 days.

RECOGNITION

Bruno’s age was verified by Cyril Depoudent and validated by the ESO on 4 March 2023, one day before her death.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Un bel anniversaire à Franziska Bruno qui a fêté ses 110 ans” – Ville de Saint-Raphaël, 23 December 2021

* “ “Je n’aime pas vivre dans le passé…” À 110 ans, Franczeska partage ses “milliers de souvenirs” ” – Var-Matin, 26 December 2021

* “ “C’est très touchant”: à 110 ans, elle revient sur son ancien lieu de travail dans un hôtel à Saint-Raphaël” – 17 October 2022

GALLERY