BIOGRAPHY

Marguerite Hardy was born in Charchigné in the Mayenne department in the region of Pays de la Loire, France, on 14 March 1907. She was the fourth of seven children born to parents were Hyppolite Victor Voisin (1874–1948) and Marie Louise Edom (1878–1946). She had six siblings: Marie Louise Suzanne (born 1896), Charlotte Marie (born 1900), Madeleine Marguerite Germaine (1904–2005), Hippolyte Charles (1911–1989), Victorine Marcelle (1914–2009), and Léa Juliette Suzanne (born 1919). Her mother was a seamstress, and her father was a clog maker.

At 12, Marguerite left school to care for her sisters and later worked on several farms. She and her husband ran a small farm in Javron while also working other jobs. In 1939, they moved to a farm in Saint-Patrice.

On 6 August 1928, at 21, she married Valentin François Hardy (1887–1961). They had three children: Suzanne, Simone, and Daniel. By the age of 110, she had six grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, and 12 great-great-grandchildren. After her husband passed away in 1961, Marguerite decided to leave the farm. Starting in 1963, she worked as an ironer in a garment factory in La Ferté-Macé until her retirement in 1972.

She took advantage of her early retirement to travel. She continued to live independently at home until 2005, when she moved to the Val Vert residence. There, with the help of her son, she maintained her independence until the end of 2013. In January 2014, she relocated to the L’Air du Temps retirement home.

Marguerite Hardy passed away in the commune of La Ferté-Macé in the Orne department, region of Normandy, on 17 October 2017, at the age of 110 years, 217 days.

RECOGNITION

Her age was validated by the European Supercentenarian Organisation (ESO) on 10 September 2023. The validation is yet to be recognized by LongeviQuest.

ATTRIBUTION

* Marguerite Georgette Ernestine VOISIN – geneanet

* Marguerite Georgette Ernestine VOISIN (II) – geneanet

* “La doyenne de l’Orne a fêté ses 110 ans” – Ouest France, 16 March 2017

* “Marguerite Hardy était la doyenne des Ornais” – Ouest France, 20 October 2017

GALLERY