Guernsey Press

Elsie, 110, was on ball to the end

GUERNSEY'S oldest woman, Victoria Langlois, has died just two weeks before her 110th birthday.

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GUERNSEY'S oldest woman, Victoria Langlois, has died just two weeks before her 110th birthday. Mrs Langlois, known as Elsie, died at Maison Maritaine, her home of 10 years.

She would have received her 11th birthday message from the Queen on Monday 2 July.

Her only daughter, Frances Billington, said her mother's death was not completely unexpected.

'She had been quite ill for a while and had recovered from pneumonia three or four weeks previously, but was doing well.

'I last saw her on Monday morning and she was perfectly fine. There certainly wasn't anything wrong with her mind and she was on the ball right to the end,' said the 82-year-old.

'On Wednesday morning I was making calls to friends to organise a little tea-party and champagne for her birthday, but that afternoon I had to deliver the sad news because mum had died peacefully during her afternoon nap.'

Mrs Langlois was born in London, but often holidayed in Guernsey. Her first husband died in a work accident in the 1930s and she decided to move to Guernsey with her six-year-old daughter.

'We were evacuated back to England during the war,' said Mrs Billington.

'Not long after the war, mum married Roger Langlois. I think he passed away when she was 80.

'After the war we lived next door to the Trelade Hotel and she turned it into a bit of a boarding house and the young men flying into the airport used to come in for breakfast.

'That's how I met my first husband.'

As well as being an avid football fan, Mrs Langlois loved to knit and crochet.

'I have just been going through some of her stuff and it's really quite good for someone of that age, much better than I can do.

'She was very good at tapestry and crochet and won two or three awards at the Eisteddfod when she was about 95.

'Up until about three or four months ago she used to read a lot, but her eyes started to get bad and I think she was developing a cataract.'

* The funeral will take place on Wednesday at Le Foulon at 10.30am. Donations in lieu of flowers should be sent to Maison Maritaine.

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