Marie-Louise Meilleur

Marie-Louise Meilleur (nee: Chasse ) August 29, 1880 – April 16, 1998) was a French Canadian supercentenarian. Meilleur is the oldest validated Canadian ever and upon the death of longevity world record holder Jeanne Calment became the world's oldest recognized living person. She was succeeded as the oldest living person by Sarah Knauss.

Early Life
She was born in Kamouraska, Quebec, where she married her first husband, Étienne Leclerc, at age 20 in 1900 who was a fisherman. Étienne Leclerc, died of Pneumonia on February 24 1911 aged 39. Her father died on June 25 1911 aged 61. Her mother died on February 23 1912 aged 59. Meilleur left two of her four surviving children in 1913 and moved to the Ontario border to help support her sister whose children were sick of diphtheria. Only once, in 1939, did she return to the Quebec region. She had six children by her second husband, Hector Meilleur, whom she married on October 25 1915. All of her children moved out by 1942.

Later Life
Her second husband Hector Meilleur died in 1972 of diabetes at age 93. From there she lived first with a daughter and then in a nursing home in Corbeil. Out of her twelve children, only four survived her. She had 85 grandchildren, 80 great-grandchildren, 57 great-great-grandchildren, and four great-great-great-grandchildren. Meilleur smoked tobacco into her nineties. She quit smoking at age 102 in 1982 when she caught a cold. In 1986 when asked the secret to long life she said hard work. Hard work never kills a person. She became the oldest living person in August 4, 1997, after the death of 122-year-old Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment. Around her 117th birthday she was too weak to talk and she could only hear if someone shouted directly into her right ear.

Death
Marie Louise Meilleur died of a blood clot at age 117 in April 1998 in Corbeil, Ontario, one of her sons was also living in the same nursing home, and her oldest living daughter, Gabrielle Vaughan, was ninety years old. Gabrielle died in 2004 aged 96. Meilleur was buried alongside her second husband in Swisha, where she had previously lived.

Children
First Marriage

Marie-Louise (1901–1940) Marie-Julienne (1902-1903) Marie-Albertine (1904-1904) Gerard (1906–1986) Gabrielle (1908–2004) Maurice (1910–1973)

Second Marriage

Ernest (1916–2005) Pauline (1918–1980) Olive (1920–2010) Christie (1922–1987) Alfred (1924–1986) Rita (1925–2011)