Marie-Rose Tessier

BIOGRAPHY

Marie-Rose Tessier was born as Marie-Rose Bousseau in a farm in Beaurepaire in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region, France on 21 May 1910. Her father, Alexis Auguste Bousseau (1868–1935) was a farmer, while her mother, Marie Ernestine Rose Durand (1876–1962), was a housewife. She had three older brothers: Auguste Henri Jean (1899–1993), Eugène Clément Jean (1902–1962), and Henri Joseph Augustin (1906–1992). She never knew any of her grandparents, as they all passed away in their 40s or 50s, well before she was born. Her earliest memories are of her parents’ farm. At the age of five, she walked to school alone. When she was 13, her parents took over a new farm in Les Herbiers in Bournigal. Although she had to leave her old school before completing her education, it didn’t bother her; she enjoyed life in the countryside, despite the hard work.

On 14 November 1927, she married Auguste Tessier (1904–1944) in Ardelay (now Les Herbiers), Vendée. Her husband became a policeman, and they moved to Fougères in Ille-et-Vilaine. However, after a year, he opted for a posting near Paris, where the pay was better. Later, he worked as a mobile guard in Vanves, providing security on horseback. The couple had two daughters: Denise and Yvette. When World War II began, her husband was assigned to Tergnier in the Compiègne region, where he was killed during a bombing raid in 1944. During air raid alerts, she and her daughters would frequently seek refuge in the underground shelters.

After her husband’s death, she considered returning to Vendée, but her daughters did not want to move. After some time in Bournigal, they returned to Paris, where she needed to find work. For about 15 years, she worked first for a company with stores all over France, where she handled classification. Later, she joined a firm responsible for collecting the annual taxes on bicycle licenses, a tax that was abolished in the late 1950s. She worked near Galeries Lafayette in Paris for seven years. Once she retired, she remained close to her daughters, spending time alternating between living with Yvette in Colombes and Denise in Palaiseau. After Yvette sold her house to move to Les Sables, and after becoming widowed at 65, the mother and daughter decided to live together.

Tessier entered a retirement home at the age of 100. However, she expressed her unhappiness about this decision, noting that it became increasingly difficult to make friends at such an old age, especially after losing her previous connections. She was older than all the other residents. Reportedly, she had rarely been ill. At 112, she followed no specific diet or medication, taking only a small pill occasionally to help her sleep. Every day, she enjoyed a small glass of wine. On Sundays, she used to have an aperitif, a small Suze, but she stopped that habit in her centenarian years. She remarked that she had no “recipe” for longevity. At that time, she did not watch television; it was her granddaughter, Marie-Christine, who would keep her updated on the news. At 112, although she could still move around with her walker, she needed more and more help

In April 2018, Tessier participated in a meeting with students of the Ecole St. Paul School in Chateau-d’Olonne to share her memories of World War I, along with other elderly people. In November 2022, at the age of 112, she contracted COVID-19 but experienced only mild symptoms. In March 2024, at the age of 113, she contracted bronchitis and required oxygen, but she made a full recovery. By the age of 114, her sight and hearing had significantly deteriorated. She survived both her daughters, and at 114, she had a granddaughter, Marie-Christine, and a great-granddaughter who lived in Italy.

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RECOGNITION

Following the death of Marie-Florentine Jousseaume on 20 December 2020, Tessier became the oldest known living person in Vendee department. She became the oldest living person in the region of Pays de la Loire, following the death of Marie-Louise Berthelot on 17 January 2021.

Her age was validated by the ESO on 8 February 2021.

Following the death of 111-year-old Madeleine Cornu on 19 May 2022, Tessier became the last known surviving French woman born in 1910.

Following the death of 111-year-old Andre Boite on 15 July 2022, Tessier became the last known surviving French person born in 1910.