Eugénie Blanchard
| Eugénie Blanchard | |
|---|---|
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| Born |
Anne Eugénie Blanchard 16 February 1896 Saint Barthélemy |
| Died | 4 November 2010 (aged 114 years, 261 days) Saint Barthélemy |
| Title | Oldest verified living person in France (25 May 2008 – 4 November 2010) Oldest verified person in the world (2 May 2010 – 4 November 2010) |
Anne Eugénie Blanchard (16 February 1896 – 4 November 2010) was a French-Saint Barthélemy supercentenarian, who at the age of 114 years, 261 days was the oldest living person at the time of her death. She became the recognised title-holder upon the death of Japanese supercentenarian Kama Chinen on 2 May 2010. At the time of her death[update], Blanchard was the 3rd oldest verified French person ever and the oldest verified person ever from the island of Saint Barthélemy (administratively and legally a part of Guadeloupe from 1878 until 2007), which is an overseas collectivity of France.
Blanchard was born in the Merlet neighborhood of St. Barths on 16 February 1896. She was born only 18 years after the former Swedish island of St. Barths was sold back to France. Blanchard was the last survivor of thirteen brothers and sisters.
Blanchard moved to Curaçao in May 1923, where she became a Catholic nun of the Congregation of Franciscan Sisters of Roosendaal on the island. She adopted the name Sister Cyria during her years with the order, but earned the nickname "Sweets" due to her treatment of others, according to Victorin Lurel, the President of the Regional Council of neighboring Guadeloupe. Other reports have indicated that Curaçaoan children called her "Douchy," which is derived from "Dushi" meaning "sweets" or "candy" in Papiamento, the creole language of Curaçao, because she worked as a sweet seller.
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