BIOGRAPHY

Odile de Plunkett was born in the eighth arrondissement of Paris, on 7 January 1909. At the age of 110, when asked about her earliest memory, she recalled her grandmother lying on her bed in Nice in 1916—when Odile was just seven years old. She also remembered her time in England at 19, working as an au pair, before eventually returning to France. On 25 July 1929, at the age of 20, she married Francis de Plunkett, who was 12.5 years her senior. The couple had two daughters and later adopted a third child. She accompanied her husband to Haiti but returned to France while pregnant with their eldest child.

Widowed at 45 in June 1954, Odile chose to dedicate her life to religious service. She resumed her studies and, in 1961, at the age of 52, took her vows. Her devotion led her to a life of compassion, spending much of her time visiting and comforting the sick, particularly at the Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris.

At the age of 110, she had seven grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and 13 great-great-grandchildren. Also, her three daughters, Hélène, Monique, and Micheline, were all still alive. When asked about the secret of her longevity, she said: “It’s to continue to be busy, to exchange and to be interested in the outside world.”

Odile de Plunkett passed away in Orléans, on 15 November 2020, at the age of 111 years, 313 days.

RECOGNITION

De Plunkett’s age was verified by Cyril Depoudent and validated by the ESO on 24 August 2020.

ATTRIBUTION

* Odile DUBOIS – geneanet

* “Odile de Plunket a fêté ses 110 ans, lundi, au logis de Camille” – La République du Centre, 10 January 2019

GALLERY