Bailly was born as Marguerite Adèle Debail in Lislet, Aisne, Hauts-de-France on 6 March 1907. She was very ill as a child; her mother was almost always worried about her health. After spending time in Paris as a young adult, she joined her brother and sister, who were living in Golbey, Vosges.

Whilst living in Golbey, Bailly met her first husband, Maurice Toussaint, who owned a motorcycle garage on the Avenue de la Fontenelle. They married and had a daughter, Mauricette, in around 1931. Bailly was widowed 20 years later, in 1951.

After her husband’s death, Bailly moved to Epinal, Vosges, and there she met pharmacist Paul Bailly. They later married, but had no children. During her centenarian years, she had a nasty fall, but made a full recovery.

On her 110th birthday, Bailly was asked the secret to her longevity. She replied with: “I led a calm and quiet life. No excess, therefore, simple joys like long walks in the park or cards with friends.” Along with her daughter Mauricette, who was 86 at the time of her mother’s 110th birthday, she had two grandchildren, Eric and Emmanuel, five great-grandchildren, and six great-great-grandchildren.

Following the 20 April 2019 death of Elisabeth Frénoy, Bailly became the region of Grand Est’s oldest resident. She died on 12 June 2019 at the age of 112 years, 98 days.

Biography sourced from Gerontology Wiki