Charles Henri Rosmorduc

May 15, 1934 to December 18, 2022

Charles Henri Rosmorduc passed away peacefully December 18, 2022 in hospice at the age of 88. We know he is at peace and so happy to be with our mom, Carol (his cherished wife of nearly 60 years who passed April 8, 2022), and our beloved family, friends, and pets that have crossed over. As with our mom, how do we express who this amazing, intelligent, loving, person was so that people understand? An impossible task.

He is survived by his two daughters Kristin Rosmorduc of Virginia and Maren Rosmorduc (Wes) of Colorado, his sister Michele and niece Carol (Adam) of Louisiana, and several cousins and relations in France.

Daddy was born in Brittany, France but spent his formative years in Tahiti, the Marquesas, and Madagascar. Our grandfather was a doctor and surgeon who treated the local people, set up hospitals, a maternity ward, and became an expert in treating leprosy. Our dad loved living in these wild, unspoiled locales; he said he never got over leaving them and he longed to return. He had many lifelong friends there, and he was able to share these places with our mom. As a young married couple, they first made a home in Farmington, MI then in Northville, MI before moving to Vienna, VA for the last part of dad’s career. They made their retirement home in Parker, CO for 22 years.

Many people knew our father was French. He moved to his beloved “States” two weeks before marrying our mom who was a language teacher. Not many knew they met as pen pals in high school and wrote for six years before finally meeting when mom got a job with the State Department working at the Brussels World’s Fair. They married four years later. They were supposed to return to Paris for his job, but daddy fell in love with the United States and they decided to stay in the US.

While we are biased, many people who knew dad knew what an amazing person he was. He was kind, fair, honorable, had a great deal of integrity but also a goofy, funny side, and he didn’t suffer fools well at all. He was an exceptional husband, son, father, brother, uncle, friend, completely trustworthy in every situation, and a hard worker beloved by his clients all over the world. He was always extremely fair, taught us not to take ourselves too seriously, while he called us out on our BS, he was always supportive, loving, and quick to praise our accomplishments. He remembered all our friends through the years back into our childhood in Northville, Michigan. He loved hearing updates on our friends and would crinkle his eyes when we shared updates about marriages, births etc.

He loved traveling, history, geography, different cultures, art, music, the wide, open spaces and especially the western part of the United States and he taught us to respect and accept different cultures that were unfamiliar to us. One of his many passions was history, and he loved to learn about Native American cultures. He read constantly, knew world geography in detail, and always expected you to have an opinion on current events. He had total recall when it came to history and world events; one time, he explained the background of the Vietnam War on a cocktail napkin. He spoke fluent French, English, and Spanish and spoke some Portuguese and Arabic.

He loved sports and was an avid University of Michigan fan (Kris is the butt of family jokes because she chose to attend Michigan State). Daddy and Maren spent many Saturdays watching their beloved Wolverines at the Big House and on tv. While living in Northville, Daddy taught Maren to love and to play soccer, and he coached Maren’s soccer teams for 11 years. Speaking of soccer, dad played semi pro in France and still watched professional soccer/football with Maren and her husband Wes. He was also an amazing artist who painted and carved wood and he finally got to do that when he retired. One of his carved statues is at Our Lady of Victory in Northville, MI. It is a statue of Jesus on the cross that he carved from the branch of an apple tree that fell in our backyard in Northville. The church often displays it around Easter. For many years, he built a creche in a corner of our home that brought magic and delight to our holidays. He loved taking us and friends to museums and galleries. One close friend said she always wanted dad as her guide because he made things come alive. Daddy once walked Maren all over Paris in one day; showing her his university stomping grounds, where mom stayed when she visited him, and his favorite church Sainte-Chapelle.

Daddy loved all animals and dove right in when Kris bought her first horse, Korrigan (whom he named), and he helped her and her friends muck stalls and fill water buckets when the two young horses were on self-care to save money. He was always supportive of our interests and talents, cheering on any passion we had. While not a dancer himself, he encouraged both Kristin and Maren to pursue dance. He was a staunch supporter of Kristin’s passion for ballet and theater, even designing and building sets for performances and eventually driving Kris in a packed van (even though he hated the idea) to New York City after college to attend theater school. Later, after he retired, he and Kristin rediscovered her horse passion, and he flew cross country to stay with Kristin to go to horse shows (he loved picking wine for the tail gate parties after the show).

Daddy was very devoted to our family and friends, and all the pets we cared for during our lives. Every year, he sent dozens of Christmas cards to stay in touch with those near and far. He hand wrote every card too! He could never turn down an animal when we brought it home or when it wandered into our yard. He adored his last dog, Clio, whom he called “his best friend”. He helped with our cats, dogs, horses, in so many ways; walking them, staying with them when we travelled, and helping us say goodbye. That is the kind of guy he was: He was always there when we needed a hug, a shoulder to cry on, or a reassuring word which was always accompanied by the special endearment he had for the women in his family, “Ma Fille” (which means my little girl in French).

Maren’s wish was to watch France play the final game in World Cup with him. She got that wish and Kristin was also able to join them in hospice cheering on France. Though dad was not conscious, Maren called the plays out loud. He would have been disappointed that France lost, but also with his sense of fairness, enjoyed the fact that Messi finally won a World Cup. Daddy passed away later that day.

We know many people have suffered such losses and know this pain. We are so grateful for being his daughters and for the life he gave us, that his suffering is over, and he is with his beloved wife and cherished life partner. Daddy was the best of men and a truly great father and human being. He created and shared so many experiences that we cherish; those shared passions and experiences that made such a rich, full, and loving life.

A celebration of life service is planned for Saturday, February 4, 2023 at 12 noon at Olinger Andrews Caldwell Gibson in Castle Rock, CO. Memorial contributions may be made to one of these organizations: Denver Dumb Friends League (www.ddfl.org), Loudoun Equine Rescue (https://www.equinerescueleague.org/), or Porter Hospice (https://www.centura.org/location/porter-adventist-hospital/hospice-care).

Mom said she got dad for 25 cents and he got her for two francs, from that modest start and 10 years of dedicated transatlantic correspondence, they built us a priceless, rich life full of family, friends, travel, art, sports, learning, and laughter that started in an idyllic, small Michigan town.

There are no words to adequately describe the loss of our dad and best friend. Because of his constant support and encouragement, he pushed us to follow our dreams, gave us confidence in our independence even when we did not believe we had it, and provided a safe place to land if things did not go as planned. He was truly the wind beneath our wings, and he taught us to fly. Daddy, we love you with all our hearts and you will be missed.

May you rest in peace. Your eternally loving daughters, Kris and Maren.