French supercentenarian (1904?2023)
Lucile Randon
|
---|
Randon as a young woman
c.
1920s
|
Born
| (
1904-02-11
)
11 February 1904
|
---|
Died
| (aged 118 years, 340 days)
|
---|
Other names
| Sister Andre
|
---|
Occupation
| Catholic nun
|
---|
Known for
| |
---|
Lucile Randon
DC
(
French:
[ly.sil
???.d??]
; 11 February 1904 ? 17 January 2023), also known as
Sister Andre
(French:
Sœur Andre
), was a French
supercentenarian
who, until her death at the age of 118 years, 340 days, was the
world's oldest verified living person
following the death of
Kane Tanaka
on 19 April 2022. She is the
fourth-oldest verified person ever
,
[1]
as well as the oldest confirmed survivor of the
COVID-19 pandemic
, having tested positive for
SARS-CoV-2
a month before her 117th birthday.
[2]
[3]
As a young adult, Randon converted to
Roman Catholicism
and worked as a governess, teacher, nun, and missionary before retiring at the age of 75 in 1979. She lived in a nursing home in
Toulon
, France from 2009 until her death.
Personal life
[
edit
]
Randon was born on 11 February 1904 in
Ales
, France to Paul Randon and Alphonsine Delphine Yeta Soutoul. Her living siblings included three older brothers and a twin sister named Lydie, who died a year after they were born.
[4]
[5]
Lucile became a
governess
to three children in
Marseille
when she was twenty years old in 1924. She took on more responsibility when she was hired as both a governess and teacher by a prominent family, the Peugeots, at
Versailles
in 1928.
[6]
[7]
Her work as a governess and teacher at Versailles lasted until 1930 when she became governess for the Borionne family in
Paris
and then in
Ardeche
until 1944.
[6]
[7]
Randon grew up in a
Huguenot
Protestant
family and her paternal grandfather Casimir Randon (1822?1908) was a pastor.
[5]
She converted to Catholicism in 1923 at the age of 19.
[5]
She later joined the Catholic order
Daughters of Charity
in 1944, taking the name Sister Andre in honour of her elder brother.
[4]
[5]
After
World War II
ended, Randon went on a
mission
to a hospital in
Vichy
, where she served orphans and elders. Her mission lasted 18 years until she was sent to another hospital at
La Baume-d'Hostun
, Drome, for night duty in 1963.
[7]
Randon retired from full-time work in 1979 and entered the
EHPAD
in the Marches at
Savoie
, where she continued to care for the elderly until she was 100 years old.
[8]
She moved to the Ste. Catherine Laboure retirement home in Toulon on 25 October 2009, at the age of 105.
[4]
[9]
Health and longevity
[
edit
]
Randon was blind and used a wheelchair from the early 2010s.
[5]
In January 2021, she tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in an outbreak at her retirement home. She was asymptomatic and tested negative days before her 117th birthday, making her the oldest known survivor of the COVID-19 pandemic.
[10]
[2]
[11]
After the death of
Honorine Rondello
on 19 October 2017, she became the oldest living person in France.
[12]
When she turned 115 in 2019,
Pope Francis
sent her a personal letter and blessed
rosary
.
[4]
In 2021, she said she was happy at her home, although she wished to join her grandparents and brother Andre in
heaven
.
[4]
On her 118th birthday in February 2022, Randon received a birthday note from the French president,
Emmanuel Macron
.
[13]
On 19 April 2022, she became the world's oldest verified living person after the death of Kane Tanaka.
[14]
She felt this was a "sad honour", saying: "I feel I would be better off in heaven, but the good Lord doesn't want me yet." At that time, she was reported to still eat chocolate and drink a glass of wine each day.
[13]
Randon died in her sleep at her nursing home on 17 January 2023 at the age of 118 years and 340 days as the fourth-oldest verified person ever.
[15]
[16]
[17]
Maria Branyas
then became the world's oldest validated living person.
[18]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Dominic Punt (17 January 2023).
"World's oldest person, Lucile Randon, dies aged 118"
.
Guinness World Records
.
Archived
from the original on 17 February 2023
. Retrieved
21 February
2023
.
It's been an honour to record her story in the pages of the Guinness World Records book, and she will live on in history as the fourth oldest person ever authenticated.
- ^
a
b
"Europe's oldest person survives Covid just before 117th birthday"
.
BBC News
. 9 February 2021.
Archived
from the original on 10 February 2021
. Retrieved
2 June
2021
.
- ^
Guy, Jack (11 February 2021).
"Europe's oldest person, a 117-year-old French nun, survives COVID-19"
. WCVB.
Archived
from the original on 14 November 2021
. Retrieved
2 June
2021
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Peiser, Jaclyn; Hassan, Jennifer (11 February 2021).
"Nun who survived flu pandemic, both world wars and coronavirus celebrates 117th birthday with red wine"
.
The Washington Post
.
ISSN
0190-8286
.
Archived
from the original on 15 February 2021
. Retrieved
23 March
2021
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Viet, Cyprien; Jozeau, Anne-Quitterie (10 February 2021).
"Sœur Andre fete ses 117 ans et souhaite un bon anniversaire a Radio Vatican"
.
Vatican News
(in French).
Archived
from the original on 20 February 2022
. Retrieved
20 February
2022
.
- ^
a
b
"Lucile Randon, la doyenne ? Musique d'une vie"
.
Mairie de Cros
(in French). 2017.
Archived
from the original on 26 January 2023
. Retrieved
26 January
2023
.
- ^
a
b
c
"La doyenne de Toulon a 112 ans"
.
Mairie de Toulon
(in French). 9 February 2016.
Archived
from the original on 20 February 2022
. Retrieved
20 February
2022
.
(some dates are erroneous)
- ^
"Heaven can wait: How the super-centenarians live"
.
France24
. 10 February 2022
. Retrieved
2 June
2022
.
- ^
"Europe's oldest person, 117-year-old French nun, survives COVID-19"
.
Reuters
. 12 February 2021.
Archived
from the original on 6 March 2021
. Retrieved
23 March
2021
.
- ^
Peltier, Elian (10 February 2021).
"A French Nun Turns 117 After Knocking Down Covid-19"
.
The New York Times
.
ISSN
0362-4331
.
Archived
from the original on 10 March 2021
. Retrieved
23 March
2021
.
- ^
Willsher, Kim (9 February 2021).
"Europe's oldest person survives COVID and set to celebrate 117th birthday"
.
The Guardian
.
Archived
from the original on 10 February 2021
. Retrieved
10 February
2021
.
- ^
"World's second-oldest person survives COVID-19 at age 116"
.
ABC7 Chicago
. 10 February 2021. Archived from
the original
on 19 February 2021
. Retrieved
23 March
2021
.
- ^
a
b
Bouvier, Simon; Xu, Xiaofei; Knight, Camille; Lemercier, Elias (26 April 2022).
"The world's oldest person is a French nun who enjoys chocolate and wine"
.
CNN
.
Archived
from the original on 28 April 2022
. Retrieved
28 April
2022
.
- ^
"French nun Sister Andre, 118, claims title of world's oldest person"
.
France24
. 25 February 2022.
Archived
from the original on 25 April 2022
. Retrieved
25 April
2022
.
- ^
"World's oldest person dies at age of 118"
.
RTE News
. 17 January 2023.
Archived
from the original on 17 January 2023
. Retrieved
17 January
2023
.
- ^
"Mort de la doyenne de l'humanite : la Francaise sœur Andre est decedee a 118 ans"
.
Le Parisien
. 17 January 2023.
Archived
from the original on 17 January 2023.
- ^
"Sister Andre, World's Oldest Known Person, Dies at 118"
.
The New York Times
. 18 January 2023.
Archived
from the original on 16 July 2023
. Retrieved
19 January
2023
.
- ^
"World's oldest living person confirmed as US-born Spanish woman"
.
Guinness World Records
. 19 January 2023.
Archived
from the original on 20 September 2023
. Retrieved
19 January
2023
.
External links
[
edit
]