Lucile Randon, the world’s oldest known person, has passed away at the age of 118. The French nun died in her sleep on Tuesday, January 17, at her nursing home in Toulon, spokesperson David Tavella confirmed.
Randon was born in France on February 11, 1904. She was declared the world’s oldest person alive last year after Japan’s Kane Tanaka died at the age of 119. Continue reading to know more about the nun’s long life.
World’s Oldest Person Lucile Randon Dies at 118
“There is great sadness, but…it was her desire to join her beloved brother. For her, it’s a liberation,” David Tavella said. Randon lived through two world wars and 27 heads of state in France. She was raised in the town of Ales and was the only sister of three brothers.
At the age of 26, she converted to Catholicism and was baptized. She also worked as a governess in Paris for the kids of happy families and described the period as the best time of her life. At 41, she became a member of the Daughters of Charity order of nuns.
Randon was famously known as Sister Andre and worked in a hospital in Vichy for 31 years. During her time in the nursing home, she got frequent visits from residents and hospice workers. In April 2022, she was officially acknowledged as the world’s oldest person alive by Guinness World Records.
Randon had Revealed ‘Work’ as the Reason Behind her Long Life
Sister Andre had said that it was her work and care for others that kept her going all these years. “People say that work kills, for me, work kept me alive. I kept working until I was 108. People should help each other and love each other instead of hating. If we shared all that, things would be a lot better,” she had said.
In another interview, she had said that only God knew why he kept her alive for so long. “I’ve no idea what the secret is. Only God can answer that question. I’ve had plenty of unhappiness in life and during the 1914-1918 war when I was a child, I suffered like everyone else,” she stated in 2020.
After Randon’s demise, a 112 year old woman from Vendee named Marie-Rose Tessier has become the oldest person alive in France. The record for the highest age attained by a human being is held by Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 aged 122.
Sister Andre Defeated Covid-19 in 2021
In 2021, Randon battled Covid-19 and won over the virus. Unfortunately, 10 other residents of her nursing home died of the disease. After recovering, she told a French newspaper, “I didn’t even realize I had it.”
Asked if she was scared of the virus, the nun had said, “No, I wasn’t scared because I wasn’t scared to die … I’m happy to be with you, but I would wish to be somewhere else – join my big brother and my grandfather and my grandmother.”
Tavella had also doubled down on her statement and said, “She didn’t ask me about her health but about her routine. She wanted to know, for example, if the meal and bedtimes were going to change. She showed no fear of the illness. In fact, she was more worried about the other residents.”
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