Marie Brémont

Marie Marthe Augustine Lemaitre Brémont, born Marie Marthe Augustine Mesange, in Noëllet, France, on 25 April 1886, was a French supercentenarian, and the second-oldest on record, between 122-year-old Jeanne Calment of Provence and 114-year-old Eugénie Blanchard of Saint Barthélemy. She became the oldest living person on 2 November 2000 at age 114 years, 191 days following the death of 114-year, 360-day-old British Eva Morris.
Brémont's first husband, Constant LeMaitre, was killed in World War I, and Brémont remarried, to Florentin Brémont, who was a taxi driver. He died in 1967.
During her life, Brémont worked in a pharmaceutical factory, as a seamstress, and as a nanny. She was hit by a car in 1989 when she was 103, and broke her arm.
For her 115th birthday party on 25 April 2001, Brémont donned a red dress, and shared strawberry cake as well as a glass of white wine with her friends at the retirement home. She listened as three girls, born a century after Brémont, sang a song written by nursing home staff. By that time, Brémont's hearing and sight had been reported to have deteriorated; Brémont, however, told the nursing home director after her party that she was "proud to be the doyenne of humanity".
Born to a poor rural family, Brémont went to Paris in 1906 at 20 to find work. As she says, "My eyes were wide open. I marvelled at everything. Oh, the Eiffel Tower! In the workshop, with my colleagues, we often talked about a strange invention: the television".
Brémont settled in western France, where she lived until 106. She moved into a Cande nursing home in 1992 upon the insistence of her doctor. Brémont initially contested the move, but later confessed, "I'm well cared for here".
On 3 January 1999, when 1886-born Jeanne Durmaine died after a 300-day reign as the oldest living Frenchwoman, Brémont became the oldest living French, four months before her 113th birthday.
Brémont died on 6 June 2001 at age 115 years, 42 days, ending her 216-day reign as the world's oldest person and her 2-year, 154-day reign as the oldest living Frenchwoman. She was succeeded as the world's oldest person on the day before her death by Maude Farris-Luse, who was born on 21 January 1887 and who herself died the next year. When Brémont died at 2.15am on 6 June, it was 8.15pm on 5 June 2001 when Maude Farris-Luse took the title, meaning she took on the eve of her predecessor's death in her own time zone. Brémont currently ranks as the 25th oldest person on record, behind Farris-Luse.