Obituary for Marie Merzelie Louis
Born on July 2nd, 1931, Marie Merzelie was the 8th child of 11 to DeLouis Louis and Innocente Zidor. She was born and raised in Lavanneaux Sud of Jacmel, Haiti.
In 1956 Marie Merzelie moved to the capital city of Port-au-Prince, where she met her then-love, Pierre Jaures Jean-Jacques. They gave birth to their first child, a son, in 1958 who they named Serge Joseph. 3 years later, they had their first set of twins, Carline and Carole. They had both fallen sick at a young age and have since passed. In 1963, they gave birth to a second set of twins, who are still living: Mona & Monique.
In 1970, she made the journey to the United States in hopes of a better life. The twins were just 5 years old. She first arrived in Washington DC and worked as a sort of in-home caretaker/nanny to different families. She recounted how difficult it was for her to work in those homes, as she would witness situations of domestic violence and even a drug overdose. She would speak to Pierre about how difficult it was for her in the states and he would encourage her to return home to Haiti. Even though she told him she would do so, she knew she couldn’t. There wasn’t a life for her in Haiti, and she knew what she had traveled to the US to do. As she worked, she made sure to always send funds back to her children and provide for them the best she could, from where she was.
She would eventually relocate to Cambridge, Massachusetts. Here, she gave birth to her second son, Marc Bena, in 1975. She worked at the Walter E. Fernald State School, later the Walter E. Fernald Developmental Center, which was once the Western hemisphere's oldest publicly funded institution serving people with developmental disabilities. She worked as a dietary aide there for approximately 8 years.
The next time she would see her other children was in 1984 when she was able to have them join her in the US. The twins were 21.
She would eventually fall sick, suffering 5 strokes, 1 heart attack, and some other accompanying afflictions. She spent her final 35 years in the loving care of her family. Her two daughters, Mona and Monique, went above and beyond to give her a full and comfortable life. She passed in her family home, where she lived with her daughters and grandchildren.
Marie Merzelie Louis was a woman of pure courage, strength, and enough humor to keep you laughing endlessly. She believed in hard work and sacrifice, to which she credited her survival. She loved to dance and cook and could often be found hosting as her doors were always open. Even if it were against her building's regulations, she would host anyone in need, providing them food, a place to sleep, prayer, and laughs. She was a woman well loved and respected by her family and community. She was a woman of God, who prayed for everyone by name. She embodied everything one would hope of a matriarch. And she will be deeply missed.
In 1956 Marie Merzelie moved to the capital city of Port-au-Prince, where she met her then-love, Pierre Jaures Jean-Jacques. They gave birth to their first child, a son, in 1958 who they named Serge Joseph. 3 years later, they had their first set of twins, Carline and Carole. They had both fallen sick at a young age and have since passed. In 1963, they gave birth to a second set of twins, who are still living: Mona & Monique.
In 1970, she made the journey to the United States in hopes of a better life. The twins were just 5 years old. She first arrived in Washington DC and worked as a sort of in-home caretaker/nanny to different families. She recounted how difficult it was for her to work in those homes, as she would witness situations of domestic violence and even a drug overdose. She would speak to Pierre about how difficult it was for her in the states and he would encourage her to return home to Haiti. Even though she told him she would do so, she knew she couldn’t. There wasn’t a life for her in Haiti, and she knew what she had traveled to the US to do. As she worked, she made sure to always send funds back to her children and provide for them the best she could, from where she was.
She would eventually relocate to Cambridge, Massachusetts. Here, she gave birth to her second son, Marc Bena, in 1975. She worked at the Walter E. Fernald State School, later the Walter E. Fernald Developmental Center, which was once the Western hemisphere's oldest publicly funded institution serving people with developmental disabilities. She worked as a dietary aide there for approximately 8 years.
The next time she would see her other children was in 1984 when she was able to have them join her in the US. The twins were 21.
She would eventually fall sick, suffering 5 strokes, 1 heart attack, and some other accompanying afflictions. She spent her final 35 years in the loving care of her family. Her two daughters, Mona and Monique, went above and beyond to give her a full and comfortable life. She passed in her family home, where she lived with her daughters and grandchildren.
Marie Merzelie Louis was a woman of pure courage, strength, and enough humor to keep you laughing endlessly. She believed in hard work and sacrifice, to which she credited her survival. She loved to dance and cook and could often be found hosting as her doors were always open. Even if it were against her building's regulations, she would host anyone in need, providing them food, a place to sleep, prayer, and laughs. She was a woman well loved and respected by her family and community. She was a woman of God, who prayed for everyone by name. She embodied everything one would hope of a matriarch. And she will be deeply missed.