Decembre Jean

Topic: Decembre Jean Funeral
Time: May 9, 2020 10:20 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

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Decembre Jean, was born in Haiti, on December 19, 1932, and left us peacefully on the night of May 5, 2020, of natural causes. He passed away at the age of 87. Even though he was diagnosed with larynx cancer and got treated 7 years ago, his spirit never withered. His presence would still fill up a room. His life was the epiphany of love. He instilled in his children, compassion, love, and kindness. Reflecting back on the kind of teacher Decembre was to his children and grandchildren, the Bible verse, Ephesians 4:32 best described the very essence of this man. “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”

Decembre Jean is survived by his wife Marie Benoite Jean. Children; Elizabeth, Jude, Denis, Julienne, Jhonny and Smith Jean, his grandchildren; Rudolphe, Esther, Litz-Haggi, Clifford, Christopher, Smaheca and Azrael Jean. His three sisters; Marita Jerome, Saintamise Jean Larose, Christa Jean. His beloved daughters-in-law; Marie C. Jean, Dherly Jean, and Nancy Jean. And last not least, his many nieces and nephews.

My father was a carpenter, a builder with an outstanding imagination, creativity, and inventiveness. He would always see the positive in everything and would prove that something great can come out of anything.  His motto in life was, “Live a life to be remembered in joy, not one to be remembered in disgust.” With that said, all his children and his grandchildren can recall a time in their life where he will give “A talk.” Mine engraved in my mind forever. “If you have no intention of doing any good for a person, do not use that person.”

In his own words, he always said, “School is great because you put something in your head so you can become someone special tomorrow.”

One recognizable trait about my grandfather was his ability to get along with anyone. He had an energy that radiated and wherever he was everyone knew to expect nothing but positivity and laughter. He invented his own language with most of the words starting with the letter “B” and sounded like nonsense, but for some reason, I felt like I always knew what he was saying. Even the neighbors enjoyed having conversations with him, while he was using his gibberish. I knew that when I got to his age I wanted the energy he carried.

We can all say that Grandpa was definitely a hoarder. When we threw away what we thought was trash, it always managed to get back in the house. He would return our broken toys and fix them the way he knew how. He collected our old trophies, cleaned them, and hung them up. Grandpa has shown me that things are never broken; they just need a nail, hammer, and love. Grandpa was full of laughter, and silly jokes. Even in his last days he was still laughing and calling us Makak (monkey).

One thing about grandpa was that he was not shy about giving his advice or saying what was on his mind. If he thought you were too close to the television he'd move you back if you were taking too long to eat he’d grab your spoon, and If he thought you looked weak and needed to go to the gym he had no problem telling you. Everyone knew the reason he would do these things was not to chastise, but because of the love and concern, he had for our well-being. He always wanted to make sure everyone was alright, if even just by visiting them during the day just to say hi. He always made you remember that no matter what there was always someone who cared.