Denise Bordenave celebrated her 103 years. Arrived young in Lourdes, she ran a boarding house and a souvenir shop there.
Tuesday February 28, 2023, the Madone retirement home in Lourdes celebrated Denise Bordenave’s 103rd birthday. Born on February 29, 1920 in the Paris region… She arrived very young in Lourdes, her father was a firefighter and had a painting business. Her mother had a sewing workshop where she did her apprenticeship.
She married in 1941 with Léo who was a teacher and piano tuner. She worked in her mother’s workshop and helped her husband repair piano mechanics.
They then ran a boarding house where Denise cooked food that was much appreciated by customers. She finally held a souvenir business where she worked until the age of 84.
Five great-grandchildren!
Denise and Léo had three children in 1942, 1950 and 1958 (all eight years!), five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Léo died in 2010 and Denise continued her numerous activities: a lot of reading
and crosswords, sewing and embroidery.
Very dynamic and determined, she was still swimming regularly at the age of 97.
She has been residing in the facility since 2022.
For the occasion, the ventriloquist and singer Anne Do proposed a show “Coco récréatif”, with her sidekick Coco. The afternoon continued with a dance performance and a snack.
At 103, Denise Bordenave shows disconcerting youth, a quick wit and a repartee that would make more than one young person green with envy. On this birthday party, she took the microphone and pushed the song.