BIOGRAPHY

Jeannette Laham was born as Jeannette Berthe Espouy in Armenitieres, Nord, Hauts-de-France, France, on 1 February 1914. Her parents were Jean-Louis Espouy, who designed and manufactured cast iron stoves in the Madeleine district of Lille and married Berthe Fauvergue, a seamstress, on 9 March 1913. Six months after her birth, the First World War broke out, and her father, who rarely left home, was mobilized. She would not see him again until his demobilization. During this period, her mother, Berthe, managed her own mother’s haberdashery shop in Lille. Jeannette’s uncle, Pierre, died in Arras on 18 August 1915. Four years later, in 1919, her brother—also named Pierre—was born. In her youth, she was a classical ballet dancer.

In her adulthood, Jeannette pursued the profession of a milliner, maintaining an air of elegance throughout her life by designing and crafting her own garments. Following an initial marriage that ended in separation, she relocated to Paris. Shortly before the onset of the Second World War, she met Jean Laham, a medical student, who would become her husband for 60 years.

After World War II, her husband, Jean, became head of the cardiology clinic at the Paris Faculty of Medicine and an associate professor of cardiology. From 1969 to 2003, he authored several scholarly works in the field. Jeannette relinquished her position as a seamstress to support her husband in his research endeavors and assist with the writing of his articles and scholarly works. In the 1970s, the couple traveled to Damascus, where Jean practiced cardiology and Jeannette provided him with support. However, they were compelled to leave Syria urgently in 1976. Her mother, Berthe Espouy, passed away in 1978, and her husband, Jean, died on 22 July 2008, at the age of 90.

Until the age of 100, she managed to live independently, receiving occasional assistance from friends and neighbors who had previously been close to the couple. She would order frozen meals, but for the most part, she prepared her own food, as she had particular dietary preferences.

When asked about her longevity secret she said: “You always have to work. Which is what I have always done.”

RECOGNITION

Her age was validated by the European Supercentenarian Organisation (ESO) on 16 February 2024. This validation has yet to be recognized by LongeviQuest.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Anniversaire : 110 ans pour Jeannette Laham, à Montpellier sa « ville de cœur »” – Montpellier en commun, 1 February 2024

GALLERY