Jacques Thrasybule

He was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. His parents, Fabius Thrasybule and Carmen Jacques, had 11 children—he was the second oldest.

As a child, he loved spending time with his grandfather, "Papa Can" who encouraged him to practice his French pronunciation, teaching him to perfect his French "r."

He was bright and inquisitive, and had a passion for reading French literature, poetry, philosophy and history. He loved reciting and writing poetry and spent more time buried in books than hanging out with friends.

In 1957, Jacques attended Universite d'Haiti to study law. Soon after receiving his law degree, he earned a scholarship to study international law in Mexico.

He worked at the Banque Nationale De La Republique D'Haiti before he came to the United States in 1967. He settled in New York City and eventually met Gislene Cantave, his wife of 47 years. They got married and had a daughter. He became a social worker and worked for the City of New York for the next 24 years.

Jacques’ main obsession was chess. He played chess every day, and played the game wherever he went. He played chess alone and with others, even carrying a portable chess set to play in neighborhood parks, libraries, friend’s homes and tournaments. He even played chess by mail with folks all over the country.

He also enjoyed watching boxing, tennis and soccer, but no sport gave him greater pleasure than baseball. An avid NY Yankees fan, he rarely missed watching a game.

Jacques was blessed with a strong spirit and a beautiful mind. Alzheimer’s may have taken his mind away, but his spirit was with us till the end.