Woman considered world's oldest dies at 114

GUSTAVIA, St. Barts — Eugenie Blanchard, a nun who was considered the world's oldest person, died in the French Caribbean island of St. Barts on Thursday. She was 114.

Blanchard, who friends called "Sweets" because of her kindness, died at Bruyn Hospital, where she had lived in the geriatric ward since 1980, said hospital director Pierre Nuty.

Cousin Armelle Blanchard told The Associated Press that while Blanchard could no longer talk, she had seemed to be in relatively good health.

"When you talked to her, she would smile," she said. "We don't know if she understood us."

Blanchard was born in St. Barts on Feb. 16, 1896, and lived much of her life in a convent in the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao before returning home in the 1950s. She was the last survivor of a family of 13 brothers and sisters.

Blanchard worked hard from an early age, her cousin recalled.

"At that time, life was very hard in St. Barts," she said. "She tended the garden and took care of the animals."

After returning from Curacao, she lived in a quaint house in the Merlette district with a cat as her only companion, her cousin said.

France's Junior Minister for Senior Citizens, Nora Berra, said Blanchard devoted her life to God and to others.

"Eugenie Blanchard, who dedicated herself to help those who are most fragile, was a lovely and generous example of France," Berra said in a statement.

Blanchard became the world's oldest person after Kama Chinen of Japan died a week before her 115th birthday, according to the Gerontology Research Group, which tracks people of extremely old age. The Guinness Book of World Records also recognized Blanchard as the world's oldest person.

The world's oldest person is now believed to be Eunice Sanborn, a 114-year-old woman who lives in Texas. She was born on July 20, 1896, according to the Gerontology Research Group.