Bernadette Emmanuela Judith Rouchon

Bernadette Emmanuella Judith Rouchon passed away peacefully of old age, on December 8, 2022, at Margate Health and Rehabilitation Center in Margate, Florida. Bernadette Emmanuella Judith Rouchon, also known as “Dedette” to close friends and family members, was born on March 25, 1937, in Milo, Haiti.  She was the fifth of eight children born to Mr. and Mrs. Paul Rouchon. She completed school in Haiti as was done in the early fifties, where she learned home economics, sewing and cooking, which remained with her all her life.  She started a successful small business in Haiti until the time came to migrate to the US in December 1964.  It was quite a shock for her when she arrived here in the middle of winter, having lived all her youth in a warm climate.  She left Haiti, wanting nothing more than to provide a better life for herself and her family.  She settled and remained at Brooklyn all her working life.  Like most people who lived in NY for a long time, my mom loved New York and Brooklyn in particular, the hustle and bustle, the frantic pace of Manhattan.   So much so, she requested to be buried here in New York.   Though she moved to Florida later on for her retirement years, she remained a New Yorker at heart. 

Mom was a fighter and a survivor.  Being resourceful, she did, initially, odd jobs to take care of herself and her family.  By the grace of God, she obtained a stable job with Jeffrey Management Corporation.  It paid enough for her to take care of things.  She worked there in Manhattan all her life until retirement.  She worked night, and went to school during the day.  She completed several certifications in various fields of study, and obtained a cosmetology diploma at Wilfred Academy.   After more than thirty-five years of work, she retired and move to Florida where she lived a peaceful life as a retiree in her condo until she moved to a nursing home in January 2021 for health reasons.

Bernadette married Gabriel Cherelus in 1981, subsequently divorced a few years later.   Bernadette is survived by her two sons.  Paul Robillard, the eldest one, from a previous union with Raphael Robillard.  And Philocles Cherelus, a precious gift from the Lord, she obtained from her union with Gabriel.

Bernadette had many achievements in her life.  She continually strived to improve herself.  She obtained several certifications.   She considered her marriage, and her two sons as her personal achievements.  She loved to talked about how she’s the oldest one alive in the family.  She survived Covid in a nursing home in her old age, which she also considered an accomplishment.   She considered her trip to the Holy Land, Israel, Turkey, Egypt, also as a great personal achievement.   But, I think, Bernadette’s greatest achievements by far was to have found and developed a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Mom grew up in the 1940’s Haiti, steeped in religion as practiced in Haiti in those days.  But after having a personal encounter with the Lord Jesus, she received Jesus in her heart as her personal savior, left religion behind her, and served the Lord Jesus all of her life, praising the Lord and spending time in prayer with the Lord.

Bernadette loved to cook.  She was an outstanding cook with many secret recipes.   She loved watching TV cooking shows, Martha Steward and Rachel Ray, her favorite.   When Philocles and Paul visited her in the nursing home, her deepest sadness was that she was unable to cook for her two sons.  

She loved to read two magazines, the National Association for Female Executive magazine (NAFE), and Luxury homes.    Did she imagine herself as an executive living in a luxurious mansion? Most definitely.  My mom loved to travel and has been through many countries in Europe.  Her trip to the Holy Land, including Egypt has been the capstone of her life.  She liked taking long walk, and walked often until later on in life when she was no longer able to do so due to old age.

At a time when the Civil Rights and the Women’s Right movements were raging in the US, mom was one of the initial members of NAFE, when it was not popular to do so, when as yet there were very few, if any female executives. Interestingly enough, she was not set on any political parties.  She voted republican or democrat as she saw fit.   Mayor Ed Koch made a deep impression on her.

Bernadette had a heart of gold.  She loved life, and serving others.  She was giving and forgiving.  Like most Haitians, she sent regular remittances to her family and friends in Haiti.  She would selflessly give to churches and the poor.   She loved to pray and taught us the importance of prayer.   We have this blessed assurance that she belongs to Jesus and that Jesus is hers.  She is now in heaven living her story, her song and doing what she loved most, praising her savior all the day long.  

Bernadette is survived by her two sons Paul Robillard and Philocles Cherelus.    She’s also survived by her daughter in law, Catriona Robillard, and her three grand-children Judith, Alicia and Hannah.  Bernadette is also survived by her sister, Catherine Rouchon and her brother Daniel Rouchon as well as several beloved nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.

May she rest in peace.

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