Altagrace Gouraige

On April 7, 2014, 12 days short of her 86th birthday, Emma Altagracia Rodriguez "Altagrace" Gouraige, the youngest and last surviving child of José Y. Rodriguez and Béatrice Ganot, joined her siblings Joséphine Rodriguez Charles, Stéphen Rodriguez, and Gumercindo ("Anton") Rodriguez, and her beloved husband of 57 years, Serge François Joseph Frantz Gouraige, who preceded her on September 20, 2004. He called her "Alta" and she called him "Franco." Theirs was a marriage tested by enormous challenges that included fleeing their native land for political reasons in order to protect their family and secure their lives together. Their bond, constructed on the similarity of their early childhood hardships and cemented by the strength of their love for each other and for their families and children, conquered all the obstacles they faced and blessed them with a long life together that enabled them to raise their large family in their adopted country.

Alta was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on April 19, 1928, the fourth child of her parents. At the age of 14, after her father left the family in Port-au-Prince to return to his native Dominican Republic, Alta left school and went to work to support herself and help her mother. She never had the chance to return to school, and she never stopped working. At about 19, she met Franco, who had lost his first wife (Emilie Duroseau) to illness and had children of his own, including four children by his first wife. On September 27, 1947, they were married in a simple ceremony at Sainte Anne Church in Port-au-Prince. In addition to his four children with Emilie, Marie-Hél&egravene Gouraige, Edmond Gouraige, Gysélle Gouraige Jean-Jacques, and Frantz Gouraige Jr., Alta and Franco had four children of their own: Eddy Gouraige, Hervé Gouraige, Marie-Florence Gouraige Stoddard, and Rony Gouraige. For 10 years, still in her 20's, Alta cared for and raised both her children and Franco's.

Then, on November 20, 1958, as a result of political turmoil in Haiti that caused Franco to lose his government position and threatened his and his family's security, they abandoned their native land to come live in Mt. Vernon, New York with their youngest daughter, Marie-Florence. Alta was a mere 30 years old. After her mother died in Haiti in September 1962, they managed to bring all of their children and her niece Marl&egravene Charles to the United States. With hard work, the family of a few grew to be very large and Alta and Franco supported their family, with Alta often working several jobs at once while also doing all the household chores. Alta made enormous sacrifices of her own life for those of her children and family. She never asked for, and never expected anything, in return. She worked hard to educate, provide health care, feed, clothe, and shelter her family, and later in life encouraged her children to spend time with their families rather than spend more time with her. She was the epitome of selflessness.

Alta is best described as a "kind soul." Her momentary anger would always be tempered by simple acts of kindness and generosity. Her bark could be loud but her bite never had any teeth. She loved people and cared deeply about her family. No matter what her own circumstance might be, she was always willing to share whatever she had, and she was always more interested to know how the other person with whom she interacted was doing. She reminded others to take care of themselves and paid little attention to caring for her self. She never wanted to tell you about her problems and how difficult her life had been. Her conduct, however, was always sensitive to her own hardships: she would make sure to tip generously within her means those who later in life served her when she was ill and reminded her family how hard her care-givers worked. After she suffered her first heart failure, during her first post-hospitalization visit, the doctor who reviewed her medical record, said, "Lady, I don't know how you managed to survive all of these medical problems. I know people much younger than you who would not have pulled through the way you did." She answered him simply by saying, "I have been a good person all my life." Indeed, she had. He said to her, "Then you must have an angel looking after you."

Alta was an extraordinary person because she lived by simple virtues - unconditional love, deep compassion and caring for others, integrity and honesty, an ability to work hard for long hours with very little sleep, and courage that led her to fear nothing and no one. She would often remind her family that she was a very strong woman. She believed and acted as if she could conquer all obstacles and would remind her family that she would always protect them from anyone or anything that threaten their health or safety. And throughout her life she often did just that. In the end, the only thing that she could not conquer is the common fate to which we all must eventually succumb. Her large family will appreciate and miss her even more now that they no longer have her to remind them how much she loves and will always protect them. Knowing Alta, however, her family can be sure that in her heavenly residence, she will look upon them with great joy and the knowledge that her spirit resides in their hearts and, following her example, they will live good and selfless lives full of love for each other and for humanity.

Although Alta never returned to Haiti after all her children joined her in the United States, she travelled to Canada, Paris, and Germany with Franco. Her incessant work habits left no free time for hobbies or other leisure activities. A small and strikingly beautiful woman in physical appearance, her real charm was her genuine goodness and caring character traits.

Surviving Alta are a large family who were blessed to have had her as a mother, step-mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother: Marie-Hél&egravene and her three sons, Pierre Richard Oligario and his children, Alan Oligario and his children, and Manfred Lenz Jr. and his daughter; Edmond and his wife Cristina, and Edmond's children, Edmond Jr. and his children, Rodney and his wife Heather and his daughter, David and his wife Nina and their children, Tanya and her husband Chris and their children; Frantz Jr. and his wife (Alta's niece) Marl&egravene Charles Gouraige and their children, Régine and Philip, and Régine's husband Norman Simmonds and their children, Janae and Jilliyan, and Philip's wife Marisol and their children, Jeremy and Jenesia; Gys&egravelle and her husband André Jean-Jacques, and their children David and Daniel and his wife Tiffany; Eddy and his wife Janet, and their children Jina Lian and Joanna; Hervé and his wife Carla and their daughter Sophia; Marie-Florence and her children Kristen Parker Dandreano, Henry Frantz Stoddard III, and Greggory Stoddard, and Kristen's husband Pete Dandreano, and their children, Rebekah and Rachael, and Greggory and his wife Simone Stoddard; Rony and his wife Judith; her niece Daphné Charles-Martin and her husband Julio Martin and their son Eric; her step-son Gerard and his wife Jacqueline Gouraige; and her step-daughter-in-law Marie-Carm&egravelle Gouraige and her family. Alta is also survived by her cousin Gladys Nicholas and her children; her Moreta cousins Nicole and her children, Antoinette and her children, Monique and her children, Gerard and his children, Sarita and her children, Henri and his children, and Nico. Remarkably, Alta remembered all the names and all the birthdates until nearly the end.

Contributions in her memory may be made to the American Heart Association by clicking on http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/