Following the birthdays of Henriette Dubois (102) and Juliette Dupire (100), it was Jeanne Sadaune's turn to blow out her 103 candles. As tradition dictates, the mayor and the commune's general director visited her with gifts to wish her a happy birthday.
A resident of a retirement home for the past year, Jeanne was delighted to receive them and proudly showed them a photo of herself at a bowling outing organized by the home, where she is seen holding her ball before throwing it.
Born in Lessines street, Jeanne, the eldest of four children, has had a full life. During the war, she fled to France with her father, uncle, and aunt. After meeting Gaston, she married him in 1947, and the couple moved to Bois-de-Lessines before relocating to the Congo, where Gaston worked. They lived there until the 1960 rebellion forced them to leave urgently.
Upon returning to Belgium, the couple settled in Brussels. When they reached retirement age, they moved to the French Riviera, where they enjoyed a peaceful and sunny retirement until 2016, the year of Gaston's death.
At 93 years old, Jeanne returned to her native village and lived with her younger sister, Monique, until last year. A strong bond developed between the two sisters, who had previously lived together very little due to the 17-year age difference.
