Claudette Pinede

Claudette Pinede (née Pierre-Noël) passed away on January 24, 2021, surrounded by the love of her family and friends. In the 81 years of her life, with tireless determination and profound faith, she overcame serious setbacks. Everyone whose life she touched will remember her laughter, a wellspring of joy that rose from deep inside her. She shared her love of life with true generosity, as a woman devoted to family and faith.

Claudette was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to Vaugirard Pierre-Noël, a publisher and distinguished newspaper editor, and to Laura Pierre Noël (née Latortue), who would eventually emigrate to the US, learn English, and earn a bachelor’s degree in social work. There is no doubt that a passion for learning, coupled with the dedication to care for the marginalized, were seeds that were planted in Claudette at an early age. As a young girl, she adored school, especially science and math. She also loved her dogs, camping, singing along with her brother when he played the piano and flowers of all kinds. She graduated at the top of her class from the best girls’ school in Haiti, and went on to the State University where she received a B.S. in Chemistry and Science. She was among the talented few granted a merit scholarship from the French government that allowed her to attend the National Graduate School of Biology and Biochemistry in Paris, where she earned her certificate in Biology and Biochemistry. It was also in Paris that she met Edouard Pinede, whom she would marry. Their first child, Nadine, was born in Paris. Their son Didier Edouard was born in Port-au-Prince and baptized in Haiti’s National Cathedral.

During what should have been a joyful time, Claudette and Edouard had to make a painful decision. In the face of growing persecution that targeted intellectuals, dissidents, and anyone who dared speak out or resist the brutal dictatorship of Francois Duvalier, Claudette and Edouard were forced into exile. Canada welcomed them, and they settled in Montreal-Nord, home to a burgeoning community of Haitians, also in exile, most of whom were waiting to return to their homeland. Claudette earned her teacher certificate from the Ministry of Education in Quebec and relished teaching as a research assistant in the Biology Department of the University of Montreal, before teaching Chemistry at Pie IX High School in Montreal, a job she thoroughly enjoyed. Teaching, in its myriad forms, was her first vocation. When Edouard was offered a job in the English-speaking province of Ontario in 1971, Claudette enthusiastically immersed herself in learning the intricacies of her third language, after Haitian Creole and French, along with her mother Laura, who joined her in night school. Always pursuing further education, Claudette attended the University of Guelph with 148 credits in Science, Math, Sociology, and Economics.

When Edouard was transferred again a few years later, this time to work in the Manhattan headquarters of a multinational corporation, as its youngest vice-president, Claudette said goodbye to her friends, family, and colleagues in Canada with a heavy heart. Even so, she immediately found her feet as a working mother in her new homeland. In Connecticut, she was the only Black teacher at Convent of the Sacred Heart, a prestigious private school. She taught Biology and Advanced Placement Biology for students that included the Skakels, relatives to the Kennedys. During these early years in the US, Claudette also earned her M.Sc. in Biology and a teaching certificate from the University of Bridgeport, and she pursued graduate studies in Biochemistry and Biology in the doctoral program of New York University.

To help her children receive tuition scholarships, she became a teacher at Greens Farms Academy in Greens Farm, Connecticut, at that time a small private school guided by the egalitarian ethical standards of its headmaster, Mr. James Coyle. Once again, she was the first and only Black teacher, like Jackie Robinson in her own field. Her students in Algebra, Geometry, Chemistry and Biology respected (and sometimes feared) her exacting standards – she could gain the full attention of all the students in class with a single glance – but they also adored her warmth and humor. When she retired from nearly two decades of teaching, the school showered her with accolades and gifts, including an engraved cut-crystal bowl that she would always treasure.

In midlife, Claudette faced the daunting challenge of life after divorce. She moved to Florida, where she worked first as a Science and Chemistry teacher for at-risk Dade County Public Schools, then completed training in Medicare, Food Stamps, AFDC, SSI and SSA, along with workshops on Drug and Alcohol Abuse Counseling. Building on this and her previous experience as an administrator for a homeless shelter in Connecticut, she joined a state-level organization, through which she assisted thousands. At great personal cost and while facing chronic pain that would eventually require major surgery, Claudette risked everything to serve as a whistleblower. She revealed extensive corruption at her workplace, where she was bullied, harassed, and intimidated. However, she carefully documented the daily discrimination she endured to try and dismantle it using the imperfect tools of the legal system. Despite these battles, which she kept even from those closest to her, she stood firm for nearly two decades. She fought the good fight and served as a vital resource for the underserved, especially for Haitians. During this time, she survived Hurricane Andrew, though her house was severely damaged. Even as a survivor of a natural disaster, Claudette remained a helper. For her post-Andrew relief work, she received Florida Governor Lawton Chiles’ Hurricane Hero’s Award.

Retirement did not stop Claudette’s work on behalf of those in need. When she moved to her retirement community in Sunrise, Florida, she immediately looked for opportunities to make a difference by volunteering. She found it in the Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders Program, or SHINE. There she counseled and assisted elders and caregivers about health insurance, long-term care, and other issues. She made a point of working with Haitians who could not speak English, and she would often take calls at home to help them in Haitian Creole through the complexities of the American health care system. She regularly attended SHINE events, including their annual conference, and she was honored at a statewide Conference on the Minority Elderly. Claudette’s exemplary service of more than 10 years with SHINE was recognized by the Florida House of Representatives and the Department of Elder Affairs for the State of Florida. Through her volunteering, Claudette found the perfect combination of her passion for education and for service.

Claudette was a brilliant woman, a woman of faith, and a woman ahead of her time. Her light shone bright and lit up every room she walked into. She was active in her parish and a member of its Haitian prayer group. Besides volunteering with SHINE, she volunteered as the building captain in her retirement community, serving as a liaison with the condo association. She enjoyed aqua aerobics and working out at her gym, before major back surgery made this more difficult. Like many immigrants to the US fleeing violence, Claudette was an avid supporter of American democracy, serving as an Election Day volunteer for decades, including the infamous 2000 Election of hanging chads. Like many indefatigable Black women, she comprised the spine of the Democratic Party, as it has evolved today. She took quiet pride in this and in her signed thank-you photos and notes from the Obamas. 

In her private life, Claudette was no less remarkable. She had encyclopedic knowledge and a photographic memory. World history, literature (Cyrano de Bergerac was one of her favorite plays, and she loved the Romantics), Latin epigrams from the Stoic philosophers, Haitian culture, history, proverbs, songs in French, Haitian Creole, and Spanish: she could recite them by heart. She spent many hours recording them for her family. Those were the kinds of gifts she most enjoyed giving, her labors of love. She was the family archivist, keeping alive the struggle and wisdom of our ancestors. She loved celebrations of all kinds, and her warm laughter embraced everyone in her presence. She relished international travel, and fulfilled her long-held dream of visiting the Holy Land and Greece, among other places. Her last foreign trip was made before the pandemic, when she joined her daughter, her son-in-law, her sister and her brother-in-law for a magical Christmas in Copenhagen, Denmark. As a little girl, Claudette had always dreamed of visiting Hans Christian Andersen’s homeland —and the land of progressive social policies, particularly for women. She was visibly moved by a visit to the only statue in the world of a Black woman who led a slave rebellion, “I Am Queen Mary,” in Copenhagen’s harbor. That unforgettable day, an homage to her mother and to all women of courage was described in an op-ed by her daughter entitled  " The Rebel Queen". ( https://www.democratsabroad.org/demsabroadbe/the_rebel_queen ).

Although Claudette did not live to see the inauguration, she would have been elated to see the swearing-in of Kamala Harris, and the soaring poetry of the brilliant Haitian American Amanda Gorman. She would have been heartened to see officer Eugene Goodman, who single-handedly faced down a mob, lead the security detail for Vice President Harris. All of this would have made her proud of having become a citizen of the US, one who valued the right to vote. She followed politics closely, and between telling stories and sharing jokes, she spent hours discussing it with family and loved ones. She witnessed American democracy stagger like a boxer, withstanding brutal punches, yet it stayed on its feet and kept fighting. That, in a nutshell, was Claudette. Life dealt her blows, some of which she was too proud to share, yet with her strong courage and heart, she never gave up the fight to make the world a better place. She always believed that the better angels of our nature will prevail, and she did more than her share to help make this so.

Claudette loved her family and friends. They were the most precious jewels of her life. Her discretion and loyalty made her a treasured friend and confidante, who was always willing to listen to others problems and offer any advice she could to help. Among the family members who will cherish her loving memories are her sister Dr. Josiane Faublas (née Pierre-Noël) of Plantation, her brother-in-law Serge Faublas, and their children Tanya, Noëlle, and Serge Jr., the proud father of two daughters, Ileana and Issa Bella; her daughter Dr. Nadine France Martine Pinede and her husband Prof. Dr. Erick Janssen of Belgium; her son Didier Edouard Pinede of Connecticut, his daughter Elizabeth Noël Pinede of Washington, DC, and Elizabeth’s mother Claudia Thomas of Connecticut; her nephews and niece Patrick and Joel, Katiane Armand of New York and Stephane and Pascal Pierre-Noël of Canada and their wonderful respective families; and scores of other family and friends throughout the world who cherished her and who will miss her. We wish we could list them all by name, since they were dear to her and remain so to her family. Claudette was predeceased in death by both of her parents and by her younger brother, the composer and musician Henri Pierre-Noël of Canada; her older sister Dr. Yolaine Armand, a sociologist of Haitian culture and a university administrator; and by her former spouse, Edouard Pinede.

A virtual visitation will be held on Friday, February 5 from 5 to 7 pm. Detailed instructions for accessing the visitation livestream are below. A Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, February 6 at 9:30 am at St. Gregory’s Catholic Church. Please note that both events are only open to immediate family, due to pandemic restrictions. Every effort will be made to provide a Zoom link for the Mass, during which all attendees must remain muted, and to record the Mass. In lieu of flowers, Claudette’s family is accepting donations to create a scholarship in her name, to be awarded to Haitian girls with a passion for science and math. Donations to the Claudette Pinede Scholarship fund may be made to the Haitian Education & Leadership Program (HELP) at https://uhelp.net/claudette-pinede-donation/

Instructions for the visitation on Friday, February 5, from 5 to 7 pm:

Please go to Fred Hunter’s Website: www.FredHunters.com  

Please go to “Why Fred Hunter’s” and click on “Live Webcasting Channel 2” 

This will take you to another page and ask for the password, your password is FuneralLivestream2#