Michel Chevallier

Michel Chevallier (born 3 July 1908) is a French centenarian who is currently the second-oldest living man in France, behind Roger Auvin.

Biography
Michel Chevallier was born on 3 July 1908 in Coulmiers, Loiret, France. He grew up on a farm, surrounded by cows, sheep, and chickens. His earliest childhood memory was the declaration of World War 1 in 1914 as a six-year-old. At the age of 13, he went to school in Orleans, the capital of Loiret.

When he was 18, Michel tried twice to become a teacher but failed both times. On 16 September 1926, he was employed at a ticket office in Paris. A particularly memorable moment for him was during his night shift in 1936, when a lady arrived to make a phone call to New York. It was 700 francs a minute, and Michel got a tip of 100 francs.

In 1935, Michel married a woman named Fernande and had two children with her: Roland (born 1946) and Elisabeth (born 1948). On 26 June 1940, Michel was captured and taken away as a prisoner of war. He did not return home until after the war's end.

After World War 2 had finished and Michel returned home, him and his wife continued with their life. They went to the cinema on a weekly basis, and also frequented the theatre and the opera. He retired from work in 1968. In 1997, Michel met a psychiatrist who told him he would live to be 115.

Fernande Chevallier passed away in 2004 after 69 years of marriage. After her death, Michel changed his habits and went back to dancing at fancy-dress balls. He continued dancing for three more years, until he moved into a retirement home in 2007, before which he had lived alone.

In early 2017, Michel began undertaking art therapy sessions, and has been doing it ever since. He is still angry about being captured in 1940, even aged 109. He still goes on daily walks in his local park.

Michel Chevallier currently lives in Saint-Remy-les-Chevreuse, Yvelines, Ile-de-France, France, at the age of.