André Gaston Pierre Ponsart

André Gaston Pierre Ponsart passed away peacefully on October 28 at his Memory Care residence. He was 81 years old and had suffered from dementia for several years. André was born in Paris, France on July 30, 1943 to Gaston and Andrée Ponsart. He was one of six siblings. He attended schools in Washington, DC, Montreal, and France. He graduated from Georgetown University with an MBA in International Business. He had various careers including French cattle breeding, various positions in the restaurant and bar business, VP of Foods and Wines from France in NYC, and worked as a generalcontractor in the Washington, DC area.

André exuded love, laughter and a zest for life. He was kind and gregarious, approaching everyone he met to tell them a funny story or a joke or two. His caregivers loved his warmth and humor. Dinner parties with family and friendswere lively and fun. His epic birthday parties gave him such joy until the wee hours of the morning. There was nothing he loved more than entertaining and having a fun time, always accompanied by great food, wine, a dirty Martini or two, and lots of laughter.

He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Bettina, his stepdaughter, Nadia (Jay), step-grandchildren Derek, Luca, and Callum, brothers Jacques (Michele), Jean-Luc (Athy), and Christian (Sandra) Ponsart, sister, Marie-Francoise Allard,and many nieces and nephews, as well as many, many close friends. He is preceded in death by both of his parents and brother Lucien (Francoise).

A Funeral Mass will be held at 12 PM on Thursday, November 7, with visitation from 11 AM-12 PM, at the Church of the Little Flower located at 5607 Massachusetts Avenue, Bethesda, MD, with a private burial the following day.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association in André’s memory (act.alz.org)