An American, Normand Tousignant, has been recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest first-time grandfather after meeting his granddaughter at the age of 92 years and 24 days.
Tousignant first met Madison, the only child of his only child, Kerry, on September 22, 2022, when she was born, according to Guinness World Records in a report published on Tuesday.
His daughter said the relationship between her father and daughter had “revitalized” his life, prompting the family to move closer together.
The record was formally celebrated at Tousignant’s 96th birthday party in August, when he unveiled his Guinness World Records certificate alongside Madison.
According to the organisation, Tousignant was six months older than the previous record holder, Charles Smith of Australia, who became a grandfather for the first time at 91 years and 209 days.
Reflecting on her relationship with her father, Kerry said she had always valued the time she spent with her parents, particularly because her father became a parent later in life.
“A consistent theme of my life has been to treasure moments with my parents,” she said.
“My dad being an older father, I was frequently reminded (both explicitly and implicitly) that we might not have extended time together.
“At my wedding, I cried off my makeup within the first 10 minutes when the momentousness of my dad’s presence – he was then 86 – hit me. At the time, it was the greatest day of my life.
“Now, it shares that honour with the day Madison was born and the day my dad learned about his record!”
Tousignant, who spent most of his career as a clinical psychologist, grew up in Gardner, Massachusetts, as one of 17 children in a French-Canadian Catholic family.
He is now the only surviving sibling, following the death of his brother last year, and remains connected to his extended family through 56 nieces and nephews.
His daughter recalled that her father retired around the time she entered kindergarten and became a stay-at-home parent when it was unusual for men to take on that role.
She also shared memories of accompanying him to local fairs and festivals, where visitors could guess a person’s age.
“Thanks to my youthful-looking father… the attendants always guessed 15-20 years younger than Dad’s actual age,” she said.
“We haven’t tried it in decades, but I think he’d still have a good chance of fooling someone!”
The family announced Kerry’s pregnancy to her parents on Valentine’s Day in 2022 through a photo book featuring their dog, Cooper. The final picture showed a baby’s onesie bearing the message, “Cooper’s Best Friend: Arriving September 2022.”
When Madison arrived later that year, Tousignant gently took his granddaughter into his arms and became a proud “Pépère”, an informal French word for grandfather.
Despite being hard of hearing, he has bonded with Madison through play, including pretending to take her French fries, chasing her around playgrounds and giving her mini doughnuts.
“He literally climbed up a slide just this past year,” Kerry said.
The family later relocated from Virginia to Charlotte, North Carolina, to be closer to one another. Tousignant and his wife, Mary Louise, now live in a local 55-plus community, where Madison enjoys visiting them and playing in the swimming pool.
Kerry said her daughter had jumped into her grandfather’s arms at least 10 times during their most recent pool visit.
The family decided to apply for the Guinness World Records title after one of Kerry’s cousins shared a newspaper article about the previous record holder.
“My dad is quite private, so we debated applying for the record,” Kerry said.
She added that the family eventually submitted the application and received news of the recognition shortly before Tousignant’s 96th birthday.
According to Guinness World Records, Kerry hopes her father will continue spending time with Madison and pass on the family’s love of reading.
She described that passion as the “greatest gift” in the family, adding that she and her husband read stories to Madison before bedtime.