Mrs. Germaine Man Maine Phanor Kernizan

Sunrise for Marguerite Germaine Kernizan, née Phanor,

came on May 20th, 1924 at Beudet formerly Silvert, a community of Croix-Des-Bouquets,

located roughly 18 Kilometers from Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, W.I.

She had two older sisters Andrea, Eugenie, a younger brother Nicolas,

a younger sister Esther (1/19/2015), and a favorite cousin "BFF" Gisele Bycinthe

who suddenly passed away on 2/4/2015.

The daughter of "Gran" Marguerite Remy, and the "Good Looking" Eugene Phanor.

Her parents like most West Indian parents believed that a young lady must be educated,

and "possessed all of her ten fingers".

In Haiti, the last sentence translates to being an excellent Cook, Seamstress of "Haute Couture",

and a Beautician (Hair Braiding). If you can do all of these things with your ten fingers

in addition to being a well educated, and a sophisticated lady. . .

you owned your ten fingers. "Ou Gin tout Dix Douets ou".

These skills are passed on from generation to generation.

I'm happy to report that Man Maine more than owned her 10 fingers.

She mastered them!!

The phrase never stopped learning took special meaning for Germaine.

It means a lifetime of schooling for at the age of 90, she was still taking classes.

And "Malheur a Margarette ou Michelle" if they failed to register her for her classes regardless of the costs.

Man Maine is FUN and always JOYFUL day or night,

with young or not so young friends. whether at Beudet, New York City,

Cambridge, MA or now in Heaven.

In 1949, she married the handsome, Dumont Kernizan,

and had eight living children from that union:

Andree, Josette, Yvon, Robert, Margarette, Fritzner, Michelle, and Chilove.

She loved us ALL unconditionally, and we adored her.

She was a Teacher as a Seamstress.

I can remember her students discussing her famous

"PLIS CANO DOUBLE" assignment each summer in order to move forward to higher fashion assignments.

The "Plis Cano Double" was rather challenging for the students.

It's like asking an inexperienced Taylor to make a Double Breast suits within his first year.

Her young students were full with pride when they mastered the Plis Cano Double".

You were the engine under our hoods,

and your memories will keep us going for years to come . . .

we love you."

Germaine is survived by 55 immediate family members:

Sons, Daughters, Son-In-Laws, Daughter-In-Laws, Grandsons, Grandson-n-Laws,

Grand-Daughters, Great-Grandsons, Great-Grand-Daughter.

Since she gave us so much of her love,

We used some to build her very own "ELEVATOR LOVE"

which virtually connects her Heavenly Dwelling Suite to the foyer of Mt. St. Mary Mausoleum

in Flushing, New York. Fearless Man Maine for your trip to heaven

is fueled by your love for us and our love for you.

So Long!

She was a very courageous woman who never complained about anything.

When things got really rough, She would use this parabol in answering how she was feeling:

"Deux Pieds-mouin nan ou sel gren soulier" or

"I have two feet in one single shoe".

As she looked back at her footprints or lack thereof,

she's now amazed of the distance that God alone carried us through.

In 1979, God lead her not just to the other shoe,

but safely to Andre & Mozart home in New York City, USA.

And her feet have been in separate shoe from that day forward.

What a journey it has been!

Sunset arrives on Thursday February 12th, 2015 for Man Maine

when she heard God voice saying:

WELL DONE MY GOOD & FAITHFUL SERVANT!

WELCOME HOME!

Thank You Jesus.

Written By: Fritzner Kernizan, Her Son.

Read eloquently by M.C. Pierre Kernizan during her visitation / Wake Service

which was held at R. Stutzmann & Son in Queens Village, NY

February 20th, 2015 from 5:00 Pm to 9:00 Pm Eastern time.

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************

Marguerite Germaine “Phanor” Kernizan’s Eulogy:

Friends and Family,

Thank you for being here today to help us celebrate the life of our beloved mother,

Marguerite Germaine Kernizan, known to everyone as “Man Maine”.

I know that you have had many sleepless nights since she was called upon to be with God on Thursday,

February 12th, at 90 years old. Her wish was to respond to God’s calling while in full control

of all her vital signs. That’s exactly what took place nine days ago. Your presence, your thoughtfulness, and your kindness have been very comforting to our family.

Man Maine approaches life with a sense of grace, love, joy, and happiness regardless of the circumstances. She never complained about anything. Whenever my brothers and sisters and I needed to uplift our spirits and brighten our days, all we had to do was call our mother. She would always put a positive spin into every situation and make us believe that everything will be just fine. Man Maine recently said the happiest thing about her life has been her relationship with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Whenever she needed something, we all raced to be the first to provide it. That’s why she was able to live independently for so many years.

Imagine raising kids in Haiti in the 1950s and 60s, where parents built their reputation and scored extra points with their neighbors by applying tough love and dishing out tough discipline. Our mother didn’t care about scoring extra points. If cornmeal was on the menu, she would cook something else on the side for my sisters. The neighbors would whisper, “Mon Dieu, gadé jan lap gate ti moun yo.” Her focus was to raise us with love, patience, happiness and understanding. She was a strong mother who loved and protected her eight children.

Following our father’s passing on February 5th, 1973, when I was just eight years old, our sister Didy promised our mother to always be by her side and to help support us as a father. From then on, they worked together as a team to provide us with the best education.

Man Maine had a network of friends that expands across generations. Her youthful and positive approach to life made her as popular as a rock star, especially to her grandchildren. She would encourage them to do their best and help each other. They would confide in her many things we as parents aren’t aware of. In fact, we didn’t just lose a mother of 8, grandmother of 22, and great-grandmother of 4, we lost a friend and a trusted confidant.

Man Maine took a lot of pride in her singing, acting, poetry, and storytelling abilities. She had a great sense of humor and she was an expert in fixing broken relationships by acting as a peacekeeper in getting spouses, siblings, and friends to kiss and make up. She bonded very well with her sons and daughters-in-law. She was as good as Dr. Phil in advising them on how to maintain a great relationship. She sponsored many worthwhile causes in Haiti. She was extremely generous. In contrast, she disliked wasteful spending. She avoided paying full price at any cost unless it was absolutely necessary. Nou tout connin li toujou ap fe “juste prix”.

She was excellent at planning ahead and setting goals throughout her life. One of her favorite quotes was, “Le temps perdu ne se rattrape jamais.” With that in mind, upon arriving in New York on a hot 4th of July 1979 under brazing fireworks, her first goal was to bring us all into the U.S. as soon as possible. She teamed up again with our sister Didy and they made it happen. By January 21st, 1981, we were all reunited. As we speak, her house in Haiti is undergoing renovations. That was her latest goal. Kids and grown ups: work hard to live up to your God-given potential. Don’t procrastinate, never settle for less, never stop setting new goals for yourself, and always share some of your good fortune with the needy. Those are the ways to keep grandma’s progressive legacy alive.

As this celebration comes to an end, we can take comfort in knowing that Man Maine’s love for us and our love for her will live forever in our hearts and minds. She had an extremely joyful and happy life. Now, we have a friend in heaven who is praying for us and protecting us. May God Bless you and give you the strength to carry on her legacy of Love, Peace, Patience, Friendship, Happiness, and Understanding.

Written & eulogized by: Chilove Kernizan, Her youngest son

At the conclusion of her Mass of christian burial / Funeral Service

Saturday, February 21st, 2015 at 9:30 Am

Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church in Cambria Heights, New York

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************