BIOGRAPHY

Jeanne Motsch was born in the commune of Orbey in the Haut-Rhin department in Grand Est, France, on 20 October 1913, as the fourth of eight siblings. At the age of one, she was placed in the care of her grandmother. In 1915, during World War I, they were evacuated from her native Haut-Rhin department to the commune of Merlebach in Moselle. After the war ended, she reunited with her parents, who had taken refuge in La Bresse. In 1924, her parents acquired a farm in nearby Thiéfosse, where she worked until her marriage.

On 4 May 1944, in Thiéfosse, at the age of 28, she married Robert Motsch from Bellefontaine. They had two children: a daughter, Jacqueline, with whom she spent her entire life, and a son, Francis, who lived in Bellefontaine. Over the years, her family grew to include three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. She dedicated her entire professional life to running a bakery and pastry shop in Bellefontaine. After 29 years of marriage, she was widowed in May 1971 but continued operating the business with the help of a baker’s assistant from the town. Four days a week, she delivered goods to the hamlets around Bellefontaine. In 1973, she stopped making these rounds after her vehicle broke down. She officially retired in 1987, having run the business for 47 years without ever taking a single day off.

Motsch continued tending her garden until her 100th birthday and remained active in the local seniors’ club until she was 105, where she enjoyed playing belote. On 26 October 2021, after celebrating her 108th birthday at home, she moved into the nursing home in Plombières-les-Bains.

Jeanne Motsch passed away in Plombières-les-Bains, Vosges, Grand Est, France, on 13 December 2023, at the age of 110 years, 54 days.

RECOGNITION

Her age has not been validated.

ATTRIBUTION

* “La pétillante Jeanne Motsch fêtes ses 105 ans avec sa famille et ses amis“– Vosges Matin, 21 October 2018

* “Bellefontaine : la doyenne du département Jeanne Motsch fête ses 109 ans” – Vosges Matin, 23 October 2022

* “Plombières-les-Bains : à 110 ans, Jeanne Motsch devient la doyenne du Grand Est” – Vosges Matin, 21 October 2023

* “Bellefontaine – Jeanne Motsch, la doyenne du Grand Est, s’est éteinte à 110 ans” – Remiremontvallees.com, 14 December 2023

GALLERY