Henri Content, the oldest living man in France, dies at 110
The Gerontology Research Group (GRG) is saddened to reported that Mr. Henri Content, the oldest living man in France, sadly passed away in Bellerive-sur-Allier, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes on 14 February 2026 at the final age of 110 years and 41 days.
Henri Content was born in Vault-de-Lugny, Yonne, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France, on 4 January 1916. Born during the First World War, he has lived through an entire century of French history. He has witnessed two world wars, the reconstruction, the post-war economic boom, the advent of the digital age, and so many upheavals that would have seemed unimaginable to the child of Vault-de-Lugny.
Henri was one of those children of the Republic who climbed the social ladder through merit. A brilliant student, he received an award for his results on the primary school leaving certificate, which opened the doors of the teacher training college in Auxerre. It was there that he had the decisive encounter of his life: in 1936, he met Paulette Baudot (17 October 1919 – 5 July 2021). The two young people became engaged in 1939 and were married on 22 April 1940, in Cravant. Barely married, the war separated them. Henri was taken prisoner in June 1940 and spent five long years in captivity in Czechoslovakia. Five years away from Paulette, away from France, away from his life as a schoolteacher, which had barely begun.
Back in France, Henri resumed his career as a schoolteacher alongside Paulette, also a teacher. When he retired in 1972, he turned to another passion: mycology. A knowledgeable and respected amateur, he became a true authority on mushroom identification within his club for retired teachers in Auxerre: a way, in his own way, to continue sharing knowledge and learning, remaining true to the spirit of the schoolteacher he had been.
Henri always cultivated two passions alongside his career as a schoolteacher: sports and poetry. These tastes speak volumes about a man who was both grounded in the world and deeply in love with beauty.
Henri and Paulette had two children, Jean-Francis (born 1946) and Annette (born 1947), who are still alive and have given them a large number of descendants. Their marriage lasted for 81 years and 74 days, until Paulette’s death on 5 July 2021 at the age of 101 years and 261 days, making them one of the centenarian couples, and one of the longest-married couples in French history.
On 4 January 2026, Henri celebrated her 110th birthday and became a supercentenarian. At the age of 110, he was reading the great classics of French literature, often accompanied by one of his two children. This habit alone encapsulates the sweetness of a life well lived.
Henri’s age was verified by GRG-France Correspondent Sylvain Grosgeorge, and validated by the GRG on 8 January 2026. Then on 16 January 2026, the newspaper “La Montagne” published a biographical profile of him.
On 23 January 2026, following the death of 111-year-old Maurice Le Coutour of Barfleur, Manche, Normandy, Henri became the oldest living man in France.
Henri Content passed away in Bellerive-sur-Allier, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, on 14 February 2026, at the age of 110 years and 41 days. Following his death, then 108-year-old Jean Turco (born 19 December 1917) of Île-de-France became the oldest living man in France.
May Mr. Henri rest in eternal peace~
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1. Henri Content, le doyen des Français est mort à l’âge de 110 ans
2. Henri Content, le doyen des Français qui vivait dans l’Allier, est décédé à l’âge de 110 ans
3. Le doyen connu des Français Henri Content est décédé à l’âge de 110 ans