BIOGRAPHY

Jacqueline Bossard was born in Nimes in the Gard department in the Occitanie region, France, on 20 August 1911. She was the daughter of Roger Pasquier (1867–1945) and Armande Palisse de Mérignargues de Caissargues (1879–1974). One of her sisters, Jeanne Elisabeth Marie (26 March 1909 – 27 October 2018), lived to be 109 years, 215 days old.

In May 1932, she earned her Red Cross nursing diploma, followed by a pediatric nursing diploma in April 1935. With these qualifications, she moved to Meknes, Morocco, in the late 1930s, and later joined the French army as a member of the AFAT. She took part in the French Expeditionary Corps during the Italian campaign in 1943 and 1944, and landed in Provence in August 1944 with the army commanded by General de Lattre de Tassigny. After the armistice in May 1945, she worked in a military hospital in Colmar.

It was there she met Raymond Bossard, her future husband, a French army officer who was being treated after his captivity in Germany. They married on 2 June 1947, in Orléansville, Algeria, where Raymond had just been appointed captain of the gendarmerie. During her time in Algeria, she moved three times due to her husband’s postings. She worked intermittently as a nurse and became actively involved in various associations. In 1964, she and her husband returned to France and settled in Toulouse, later moving to Muret. She was highly active in charitable organizations, including Caritas and the VMEH, where she visited the sick.

After her husband’s retirement, they continued to live in Toulouse until his death. She remained in Toulouse until 2006, gradually losing her independence. She then moved to the EHPAD Notre Dame de la Paix in Lagardelle-sur-Lèze, where she celebrated both her 100th and 110th birthdays.

Jacqueline Bossard passed away in Lagardelle-sur-Leze, Haute-Garonne, Occitanie, France, on 10 July 2022,  at the age of 110 years, 324 days. She was survived by her only son François and her five grandchildren.

RECOGNITION

Her age has not been validated.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Lagardelle-sur-Lèze. Les 100 ans d’Hélène Niel” – La Dépêche, 9 July 2013

* “Lagardelle-sur-Lèze. Ils ont fêté les 103 ans de Marie Apolline” – La Dépêche, 5 October 2011

* “Fratrie Pasquier” – Les Grands Centenaires Français, 2 August 2021

* “Lagardelle-sur-Lèze. Jacqueline Bossard va fêter ses 110 ans” – La Dépêche, 2 August 2022

GALLERY