- Date Of Birth: August 13, 1945
- Date Of Death: April 24, 2022
- State: New Jersey
Hi everyone!
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Derick Alcius Predestin, as my grandmother used to call me my entire life. I am among one of the oldest of 3 grandchildren and today on this Saturday the 7th of May, I have the privilege to speak on behalf of all her grandchildren by sharing with you all, a few reflections on Marie Evena ‘s life.
Marie Evena Frederic was born in Benet Haiti on August 13, 1945, in a family of 5 members where she was the eldest. She was the daughter of Mrs. Marie Louise Loredan and Mr. Andrester Federic, both of them are deceased at an early age. Marie Evena and Jean Elpid Pierre have been lived together for many years. From this period, she gave birth to “Elideline Pierre “the only child that she has, and she is my mother.
Grandma was a hard-working woman. When she lived in Haiti, she used to sell goods such as clothes to raise her daughter. In the year 2017, my mother filed for her to come to the USA, with the hope that she would be able to better manage her financial demands. Unfortunately for her, shortly thereafter, she had a heart attack, followed by a cancer disease that she had endured with courage for a short period until her passing away on Sunday, April 24, 2022, in the presence of her brother-in-law, my dad David Alcius, including me, my brother Irwin and my sister Eliça. She breathed her last breath in the house where the entire family lived, at the age of 76 years old.
When I was first asked to share a few words in honor of my grandmother, I was tempted to wind back the clock for about 2 years. As many of you know, for the last 2 years, Grandma had suffered so much before she passed away and most of the time, she was at the “Overlook Hospital”. The good and the meaningful memories that we have of our grandmother are of her younger and more vivacious years.
To highlight this, I reached out to my Uncle Evens Predestin Wilguerre and Auntie Predena to ask them a pretty simple and straightforward question:
“What are the 3 words that you would use to describe Grandma?”
Their answers while simple and it begin to paint a detailed portrait of the woman, we all knew and loved. I will read them out to you and highlight a few of them.
– Considerate
– Loving
– Selfless
– Generous
– Compassionate
Grandma was unbelievably compassionate. Her heart and her generosity knew no bounds. Her door was always open – literally. She rarely locked it. You could just walk in, and people often did. Neighbors, friends, immediate family, and relatives. Grandma give us a sense of who we are and where we came from.
This week, as we said goodbye to Grandma Evena, it hit me how incredibly lucky I have been to have my lovely grandmother with me for 5 years.
Moreover, she offered much of her time to the needs of others. Knitting, crocheting, and working on her award embroidery that she loved to do; the items she made were often donated to organizations to support a charitable cause. Not only did she love to give her time and her focus to others, amazingly she was always willing to give just a little bit more. She was truly selfless. Fun! Grandma was fun!
– Determined
– Strong
– Stubborn
Now some of you would say that Grandma was strong. Others might refer to her as determined. Some may even go as far as “Stubborn”. But if you asked her, she would say, “I am not stubborn, I am independent!”
And independent she was. If she had a viewpoint and a perspective on a given topic, nothing you could do or say would alter that. She would budge, but only when she was good and ready, and on her terms.
Pushing a point with Grandma was like swimming against a very strong current. The harder you swam, the more she opened up the floodgates for you!
In many ways, she had to be independent. Raising my mother, Edeline in such difficult conditions and to fight through the perils of her life to find something to feed my mother. She had to watch over her interests. So, we will give her a pass for this one. She was independent.
– Gregarious
– Creative
– Resourceful
– Inspirational
– Warm
– Perfect
She was perfect. Perfect in every aspect.
– Her laugh
– Her smile
– Her big kisses
– Her hugs
They were perfect and she was the perfect grandmother. And we are all a little closer to perfection to have had her in our lives. At last, it is worth noting that Grandma was a member of Shilo Baptist Church from the time she came to the US, until her death. Because she believed in Jesus Christ, we know that she will rise again in the Last Day!
I love you, grandma. You will be missed
