Obituary for Christine Berrouet
On May 22, 2022 the generous, life-giving soul of Christine Berrouet departed from this world.
Christine is survived by her daughters Jacqueline Berrouët of Miami, FL and Mimose D. François of Burlington, MA; son Leclerc François and wife Kathleen of Tewksbury, MA; and son Guy Bastien and wife Mercie of Methuen, MA. Christine is also survived by numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren including granddaughter Dr. Sally B. Séraphin and husband Jonathan P. Harwell of West Hartford, CT and their children Edward, Vivienne, and Camille; grandson Alexis François of Cambridge, MA and his son Alexx; grandson Leclerc François Jr. and wife Jennie of Tewksbury, MA and their children Tyler, Maddie, and Aubrie; grandsons Mikhail A. François and Christian M. M. François of Knoxville, TN; granddaughter Jannelle P. François of Tewksbury, MA and her daughters Destiny and Italia; grandson James L. François of Tewksbury, MA; grandchildren James, Edwidge, Daphnee, Roberson, Stephanie, Khadafi, Denwich, Veronica, Kimberley and Michael Bastien who are also in the Boston, MA area; granddaughter Vanessa Belizaire of FL; and great grandchildren Caiyden R-E Séraphin of Fort Pierce, FL; and Shawn Miller of Bedford, MA. She will be missed by a surviving aunt (Rose-Line), numerous nieces (Amentha, Wilda, Bernadette, Rosemina, Clarita, Jolette, Adelaide, Émilienne, and M. Gérald), nephews (Wesley, Nestor; Jean Baptise, Bernard, Elissage, Emmanuel, and Salnave, Jr.), and cousins (Anne Marie, Adwidge, Mildred, Jubdy, and Ernst) stemming from the Berrouët family of Jacmel, Haiti.
Christine was born in Jacmel, Haiti where her family grew coffee and food crops on their farm. As a young woman, she worked as a seamstress in Port Au Prince, Haiti, selling handmade clothes. She travelled to the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe where she worked as a waitress and sold goods imported from Haiti. After a brief visit to Paris, France, she decided to pursue economic opportunities in the United States, settling in Cambridge, MA in 1973. Very hard working, she often kept multiple jobs -- cleaning houses in west Cambridge, doing factory assembly in Somerville, MA, and as the housekeeper in charge of the penthouse at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel. Instead of seeking riches, Christine’s hard work was intended for one purpose: to help her family. She lived simply so that her wages could be used to feed, clothe, and shelter extended family in Haiti. Christine also sponsored many family members fleeing desperate poverty and persecution under Haiti’s dictatorship by immigrating to the US.
Christine is preceded in death by her grandson Claude E. Seraphin; her parents Amentha August and Jean-Baptiste Berrouët; her sisters Clara, Justine, and Clementa; and her brothers Ignace, Barnabé, Walbert, and Salnave.
Visitation will be held on Friday, May 27 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Keefe Funeral Home (2175 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02140). A funeral mass will be held on Saturday May 28, at 11:00 a.m., at St. John the Evangelist Church (2254 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02140). After the burial in Cambridge Cemetery, the family will celebrate Christine’s life at St. John the Evangelist Church from 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Christine is survived by her daughters Jacqueline Berrouët of Miami, FL and Mimose D. François of Burlington, MA; son Leclerc François and wife Kathleen of Tewksbury, MA; and son Guy Bastien and wife Mercie of Methuen, MA. Christine is also survived by numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren including granddaughter Dr. Sally B. Séraphin and husband Jonathan P. Harwell of West Hartford, CT and their children Edward, Vivienne, and Camille; grandson Alexis François of Cambridge, MA and his son Alexx; grandson Leclerc François Jr. and wife Jennie of Tewksbury, MA and their children Tyler, Maddie, and Aubrie; grandsons Mikhail A. François and Christian M. M. François of Knoxville, TN; granddaughter Jannelle P. François of Tewksbury, MA and her daughters Destiny and Italia; grandson James L. François of Tewksbury, MA; grandchildren James, Edwidge, Daphnee, Roberson, Stephanie, Khadafi, Denwich, Veronica, Kimberley and Michael Bastien who are also in the Boston, MA area; granddaughter Vanessa Belizaire of FL; and great grandchildren Caiyden R-E Séraphin of Fort Pierce, FL; and Shawn Miller of Bedford, MA. She will be missed by a surviving aunt (Rose-Line), numerous nieces (Amentha, Wilda, Bernadette, Rosemina, Clarita, Jolette, Adelaide, Émilienne, and M. Gérald), nephews (Wesley, Nestor; Jean Baptise, Bernard, Elissage, Emmanuel, and Salnave, Jr.), and cousins (Anne Marie, Adwidge, Mildred, Jubdy, and Ernst) stemming from the Berrouët family of Jacmel, Haiti.
Christine was born in Jacmel, Haiti where her family grew coffee and food crops on their farm. As a young woman, she worked as a seamstress in Port Au Prince, Haiti, selling handmade clothes. She travelled to the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe where she worked as a waitress and sold goods imported from Haiti. After a brief visit to Paris, France, she decided to pursue economic opportunities in the United States, settling in Cambridge, MA in 1973. Very hard working, she often kept multiple jobs -- cleaning houses in west Cambridge, doing factory assembly in Somerville, MA, and as the housekeeper in charge of the penthouse at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel. Instead of seeking riches, Christine’s hard work was intended for one purpose: to help her family. She lived simply so that her wages could be used to feed, clothe, and shelter extended family in Haiti. Christine also sponsored many family members fleeing desperate poverty and persecution under Haiti’s dictatorship by immigrating to the US.
Christine is preceded in death by her grandson Claude E. Seraphin; her parents Amentha August and Jean-Baptiste Berrouët; her sisters Clara, Justine, and Clementa; and her brothers Ignace, Barnabé, Walbert, and Salnave.
Visitation will be held on Friday, May 27 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Keefe Funeral Home (2175 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02140). A funeral mass will be held on Saturday May 28, at 11:00 a.m., at St. John the Evangelist Church (2254 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02140). After the burial in Cambridge Cemetery, the family will celebrate Christine’s life at St. John the Evangelist Church from 1:00-3:00 p.m.