BIOGRAPHY

Marie Durand was born in the commune of Bolleville in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy, France, on 7 September 1909, one of five siblings. She left her parents’ farm at a young age, became a boarder at various schools in Normandy, and married in 1927 at 18. Her husband was a salesman.

During World War II, she knitted items to sell for extra income and also took on small electrical jobs. She lived in Le Havre until the war, enduring the bombings of 1944. She even witnessed her neighbors’ house collapse under the impact of the bombs. The family moved a lot during the years. She raised her son Michel, and managed household chores. After the birth of her two grandchildren, she played a vital role in their upbringing. She was a constant presence, always ready to share her opinions and offer guidance. In September 2006, she moved into a nursing home.

At the age of 109, she had two grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and was about to welcome her first great-great-grandchild. At that time, she still participated in activities at the retirement home and attended mass, although she had swapped her regular Scrabble games for Sunday sessions of dominoes with her son Michel (then 87) and his wife Marcelle, who lived about thirty kilometers away. When asked about the secret to her longevity, her son jokingly said it was “a pig’s character”—a local saying used to describe someone with a fiery temper. It was reported that she was unaware of her age and did not take pride in being the oldest person in Normandy. Her son confirmed that she was in good health at the time, sharing a story in which the caregivers once lost track of her—only to find that she had gone down to the building’s basement on her own. At breakfast, she still made her own toast and read the newspapers each morning.

Marie Durand passed away in Le Havre, Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France, on 25 June 2020, at the age of 110 years, 292 days.

RECOGNITION

Durand’s age was verified by Luc Le Lay and validated by the ESO on 2 May 2020.

ATTRIBUTION

* “En Normandie, la bataille des centenaires” – Ouest-France, 28 January 2019

* “La doyenne de Normandie vit au Havre et elle a 109 ans !” – France Bleu, 13 February 2019

* “La havraise Marie Durand serait, à 109 ans, la doyenne de Normandie” – Franceinfo, 20 February 2019

* “PORTRAIT. Au Havre, rencontre avec Marie Durand, 110 ans, la doyenne de Normandie” – Actu.fr, 28 September 2019

* “Covid-19. On a pris des nouvelles de Marie Durand, 110 ans, doyenne de Normandie, au Havre” – Actu.fr, 29 April 2020

GALLERY