Lucile Randon obit

World's oldest person, Lucile Randon, dies aged 118

 

She was not on the list.

Guinness World Records is saddened to learn of the passing of Sister André (France, b. 11 February 1904 as Lucile Randon) at the age of 118.

She was confirmed as both the oldest person living (female) and overall oldest person living back in April 2022 following the passing of Kane Tanaka (Japan).

Lucile, who took the name of Sister André in 1944, is the second-oldest French person and the second-oldest European person ever recorded.

Sister André lived a full life and in her younger years worked as a teacher, a governess and looked after children during World War II.

After the war, she spent 28 years working with orphans and elderly people at a hospital in Vichy, Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region before becoming a Catholic nun.

Spending most of her life dedicated to religious service, Sister André also held the record for the oldest nun living.

In 2019, she was made an honorary citizen of the city in which she resides - Toulon in the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur region - and received a letter from Pope Francis.

More recently, Sister André received yet another startling record for the oldest COVID-19 survivor.

After already living through the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918, she tested positive for coronavirus on 16 January 2021, and was quickly isolated in her retirement home to stop the virus spreading.

Defying the odds, she shook off the virus after three weeks with no symptoms or side effects other than a little tiredness, in time to celebrate her 117th birthday.

Lucile was just over three years away from becoming the oldest person ever, a record held by Jeanne Louise Calment (France).

Jeanne, who was born on 21 February 1875, lived to be 122 years 164 days old.