BIOGRAPHY

Suzanne Jenny Lucienne Massoutié was born as Suzanne Ginestet in Gaillac, Tarn, Occitanie, France on 16 December 1911, as the youngest of three children. However, she claimed to have been born on 14 December 1911, and that her parents registered her two days later. She never knew her father, who was killed in the early months of the First World War. Raised by her mother and grandmother in Lisle-sur-Tarn, she learned the trade of seamstress there. In 1932, she married Pierre Massoutié, a baker, and together they operated a bakery in Brens for 31 years. The couple had three children: Henri, Marie-Louise, and Alain.

In 1965, the Massoutiés changed careers, with Pierre joining a company and Suzanne working at a wig factory in Gaillac. After Pierre’s passing in 1999, she lived independently until 2019, when she moved to the Saint-François nursing home in Cadalen.

Massoutié celebrated her 100th birthday with a visit from the mayor of Brens and continued to enjoy good health, often joking that her only ailment was diminished eyesight. At the age of 106, she was reportedly in perfect health. Her doctor visited her every month and consistently found nothing wrong. On her 110th birthday, she received the Cadalen Medal from Guy Bardet, the deputy mayor, in the presence of Yvon Bonnefoi, the deputy mayor of Brens. Surrounded by her three children, five grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren, the celebration was a joyful family affair.

Massoutié passed away in Cadalen, Tarn, Occitanie, France, on 17 April 2022, at the age of 110 years, 122 days.

RECOGNITION

At the time of her death, she was the oldest known person in the Tarn department and one of the oldest in the Occitanie region.

Massoutié’s age was verified by Cyril Depoudent of the Les Grands Centenaires Français, and validated by the ESO on 23 January 2022.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Brens. Les 100 ans de Suzanne Massoutié” – La Dépêche, 17 January 2012

* “Cadeau de Noël des élus jeunes à Suzanne” – La Dépêche, 20 December 2017

* “La Maison Saint-François compte quatre centenaires” – La Dépêche, 4 April 2019

* “Tarn : âgée de 110 ans, Suzanne a fêté son anniversaire à Cadalen et fait partie des doyennes d’Occitanie” – La Dépêche, 9 February 2022

* “La doyenne des Tarnais nous a quittés” – La Dépêche, 23 April 2022

GALLERY