The doyen of French men, Roger Auvin, died Sunday at the age of 111 at his home in Limalonges, a small village of Deux-Sevres, said Tuesday his son. "He did not suffer at all ... He refused to eat for 15 days, he decided himself," said Rémi Auvin, who found him dead with the housekeeper. The funeral will be held Wednesday at 15:00 in the church of Limalonges, he said.
Roger Auvin, born March 20, 1908 in the Vienne, was the oldest of French men since November 24, 2016, after the death of his predecessor Georges Massard in Calvados, at the age of 110 years. In Limalonges, Roger Auvin had the reputation of a man at the same time robust, "nice and sweet". In 2007, he lost his wife and his eldest son, Jean-Claude: "A blow in his life," said his family in 2016. He had seven grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, two great-great-granddaughters, one of whom had a baby, according to his son Rémi Auvin.
Someone who had great strength of character
"It was still a character our dean, we often saw him sitting in his chair in front of the house with his blanket and often we saw a lady who was walking in the streets of Limalonges.We even saw at the garage sale September 8 walking the streets, "said Mayor Annette Machet. "He was someone who had great strength of character, who was doing theater when he was younger and who loved it, he was a photo lover, too," she continued.
According to one of his assistants, Alain Biraud, "he was followed morning, noon and night by helpers who allowed him to stay home to the end." The death of Roger Auvin has also been announced by Laurent Toussaint, a fan of statistics that has become over the years a recognized expert on centenarians. According to him, the oldest of the French is still Sister André, Lucille Randon, 115 years old and living in Toulon. "She is also Dean of Europe and Vice Dean of the World," he said, adding that a Japanese woman is one year older than she is.
According to the latter, it is now Marcel Meys, 110 years old, who succeeds Roger Auvin as dean of French men. No official body awards the "title" of Dean in France.