Oczane Joseph

With profound love, gratitude, and thanksgiving for a life well lived, the family of Oczane Joseph celebrates the remarkable journey of a woman whose 89 years were defined by faith, perseverance, independence, sacrifice, and an unwavering devotion to family. From humble beginnings in Haiti to the life she built in the United States, Oczane met each new chapter with courage, resourcefulness, and an enduring trust in God.

Her story is one of determination and possibility—a young Haitian girl with limited formal education who crossed countries, taught herself a new language, built an independent life, raised a son, helped establish a church, and created a legacy that continues through generations of family.

Her Early Years in Haiti

Oczane was born on June 29, 1937, in Malik, near Pétion-Ville, Haiti, to Slencier Joseph George and Olivia Miscadin. Her father was a mason, while her mother was a hardworking and enterprising woman who sold cornmeal in the local market. After their marriage, her parents became members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, establishing a foundation of faith that would remain an important part of Oczane’s life.

Oczane grew up in a large family. Her siblings included Consima George, Nelly Joseph, Olivia Meus, Jertha Charles, Naomi Devilme, and Ruth Altino. Two brothers preceded her in death at tragically young ages: Noah Joseph, who died at only two years old, and Abraham Joseph, who died at the age of 20 from heart problems.

She attended school in Cabra, near Pétion-Ville, completing the seventh grade. Mathematics was her favorite subject, and throughout her life she continued to remember the teachers who had made an impression upon her: Mr. Lamartine, who taught composition; Mr. Marcel, who taught handwriting; and Madame Martinez, who taught mathematics. She also fondly remembered her school friends Alexon, Delcam, Simione, and Suzzane.

Although Oczane’s formal schooling ended after the seventh grade, her education never truly stopped. She possessed a curious mind, practical intelligence, and a remarkable ability to teach herself what she needed to know. Throughout her life, she demonstrated that determination, ingenuity, and a willingness to learn could carry a person far beyond the circumstances into which they were born.

After leaving school, Oczane began working as a nanny in the home of a government official in Pétion-Ville. What began as a modest opportunity would become the first step in a journey that eventually carried her far beyond Haiti.

From Haiti to Puerto Rico

As a young woman, Oczane was invited to live with Ruth King, a store owner, and traveled with her to Puerto Rico, where she spent approximately two years working as a nanny.

Those years revealed many of the qualities that would characterize Oczane throughout her life. She was hardworking, economical, resourceful, and fiercely independent.

The King family admired Oczane’s honesty and careful stewardship of their household money. When shopping, she would often bypass the larger and more expensive stores and instead visit the ti mache, the small local markets where she could find better prices. Even when spending someone else’s money, she believed in making every dollar count.

She arrived in Puerto Rico unable to speak Spanish, but she refused to allow language to become an obstacle. With determination and a Spanish-French book, Oczane taught herself Spanish. She came to love

the language and took great pleasure in speaking it. What might have been a barrier became simply another challenge she taught herself to overcome.

Her years in Puerto Rico also required sacrifice. At a time when approximately $50 per month was a customary wage for her work, Oczane initially received only $20 per month, with part of her earnings going toward repayment of the expenses associated with her move from Port-au-Prince to Puerto Rico. After approximately one year, her salary increased to $25 per month.

Although her circle of friends in Puerto Rico remained small, she formed a particularly meaningful friendship with a woman named Yvonne.

Puerto Rico, however, was not the final destination Oczane envisioned for herself. She dreamed of continuing her journey to the United States. With the assistance of Alcega Janniton, a fellow church member in Puerto Rico, she eventually found the opportunity to pursue that dream.

Building a Life in America

Oczane ultimately made her way to New York, where another life-changing chapter began.

In 1970, she met Paul Alphonse Sr. The two married, and their union brought Oczane one of the greatest blessings of her life—her one and only child, Paul Alphonse Jr.

In 1975, the Alphonse family moved to Orlando, Florida. At the time, Orlando’s Haitian community was extremely small. The Alphonse family became part of a close-knit circle of three early Haitian families in the area, together with the Bissainthe and Gracia families. These families provided one another with friendship, familiarity, and support as they established their lives in Central Florida.

From that small community, Oczane’s circle gradually grew, particularly through the church family that would become one of the most important parts of her life.

Oczane worked for many years at Florida Hospital, now AdventHealth. She approached her work with the same discipline, dependability, and determination that had carried her from Haiti to Puerto Rico and ultimately to the United States.

Following her divorce, Oczane again demonstrated the independence that had defined her since her youth. She purchased her own home and automobile and remained determined to support herself and maintain a household of her own.

Despite having received only a seventh-grade formal education, Oczane possessed a natural business sense. She supplemented her income by renting rooms in her home, making practical use of the resources available to her to maintain her financial independence.

She understood the value of a dollar because she understood the work required to earn one.

The Legacy of a Mother’s Sacrifice

Perhaps nowhere is Oczane’s legacy more evident than in the life of her only son. A woman of humble beginnings whose formal education ended after the seventh grade, she had neither wealth nor educational privilege to give him. What she gave him instead was far more enduring.

Oczane dedicated herself to teaching her son the values by which she had lived: work hard, persevere through adversity, remain disciplined, and above all, love and trust in God. She taught these lessons not merely with words, but through the example of her own life—through sacrifice, faith, independence, and an unwillingness to give up when circumstances were difficult.

Those lessons became the foundation upon which her son built his life and ultimately pursued a career as a physician and surgeon. The professional heights he reached were a source of great pride to her, but behind

those achievements were the values first taught by a hardworking Haitian mother with a seventh-grade education and an unwavering faith in God.

She may not have been able to give her son every opportunity, but she gave him the values that taught him what to do when opportunity came. Her greatest legacy was not what she possessed—it was what she instilled.

A Life Rooted in Faith and Service

Through every change in Oczane’s life, her faith in God remained constant.

A devoted Seventh-day Adventist, Oczane became one of the founding members of Beracah Seventh-day Adventist Church in Orlando. During the church’s formative years, she served as one of Beracah’s first treasurers, accepting the important responsibility of helping oversee the finances of a young and growing congregation.

Her commitment to Beracah extended far beyond those early years.

Oczane served on numerous church committees and faithfully served as a Deaconess. For her, Sabbath was not simply a day to attend church—it was an opportunity to serve. For decades, she could be counted upon to arrive early and stay late, quietly helping wherever she was needed.

She did not serve for recognition or praise. She served because service was an expression of her faith.

Beracah was therefore much more than the church Oczane attended. It was a community she helped establish, a family she loved, and an enduring part of her life’s story.

From Orlando to Massachusetts—and Back to Family

Later in life, Oczane began another chapter when she relocated to Brockton, Massachusetts, where she made her home for many years.

Then came the COVID-19 pandemic.

Concerned for his mother’s well-being and wanting her closer to family, her son, Paul Alphonse Jr., encouraged her to leave Massachusetts and come live with him and his family in Atlanta, Georgia.

After a lifetime characterized by extraordinary independence, Oczane entered a quieter season of life surrounded by those she loved most.

Her new home was filled with the energy and presence of her two grandsons, Paul Alphonse III and Preston L. Alphonse. Oczane was able to spend her later years surrounded by three generations of the family she had helped create.

During her six years in Atlanta, Oczane was also blessed with the devoted assistance of her CNA, Marie Herla Jean Francois, who remained faithfully by her side. Marie’s care, companionship, patience, and presence became an important and deeply appreciated part of Oczane’s final years.

A Remarkable Journey

To look back upon Oczane’s life is to appreciate just how extraordinary her journey was.

She was the little girl near Pétion-Ville whose formal schooling ended after the seventh grade, but whose desire to learn never ended.

She was the young Haitian woman who traveled to Puerto Rico unable to speak Spanish, opened a Spanish-French book, and taught herself the language.

She was the working woman who learned early to stretch a modest salary, shop wisely, and make the most of whatever she had.

She was the immigrant who continued onward to New York, married, became a mother, and eventually established a home in Orlando.

She was the woman who, following divorce, refused to allow circumstances to determine her future. She purchased her own home and automobile, supported herself, and used her natural business sense to maintain her independence.

She was a woman of faith who helped establish a church, became one of its first treasurers, served faithfully as a Deaconess, and devoted decades of her life to her congregation.

And she was a devoted mother who lived long enough to see the values of education, perseverance, faith, and hard work that she had instilled in her family carried forward into another generation.

Oczane’s was not a life built upon privilege or easy circumstances. Hers was a life built one decision, one sacrifice, one opportunity, and one act of faith at a time.

Her journey carried her from Haiti to Puerto Rico, from Puerto Rico to New York, from New York to Orlando, later to Massachusetts, and finally to Georgia. Yet wherever life took her, she carried the same principles with her: work hard, spend wisely, learn what you do not know, remain independent for as long as you can, care for your family, serve others, and keep your faith in God.

Those Who Carry Her Memory Forward

At the heart of Oczane’s legacy is the family she loved.

She is lovingly survived by her only child, Dr. Paul Alphonse Jr.; her daughter-in-law, Latanya Alphonse; and her two beloved grandsons, Paul Alphonse III and Preston L. Alphonse.

She also leaves behind a large and loving extended family whose lives and memories remain woven into her own.

The Louis Family

Oczane is survived by many members of the extended Louis family, including, but not limited to: Josue Louis, Mathania Louis, Kethia Louis, Kethlene Gaspard, Edeline Gaspard, Emmanuel Jean Deliane, Amos Louis, Nathalie Louis, Woodly Louis, Carline Louis, Beatrice Louis, David Louis, Marie Danielle Louis, Davidson Louis, Darline Louis, Jonathan Louis, Wilkens Louis, Thierry Louis, Gemima Louis, Kawonsly Louis, Daniella Louis, Stephanie Gassant, Jessie Louis, Stania Tavil, Peterson Tavil, Junior Tavil, James Tavil, and Dina Tavil Martin.

The Joseph, George, Cangé, and Desravines Families

Oczane is also survived by many members of the extended Joseph, George, Cangé, and Desravines families, including, but not limited to: Enide Georges, Huguette Georges, Nirva Fedestin, Bausieur Fedestin, Yanick Cange, Emile Cange, Abner Georges, Obed Georges, Erline Georges, Westline Mourelus, Wilkens Desravines, John Griff Bienaime, Johnny Numa, Sandra Bienaime, Magda Desravines, Kervens Desravines, Jerry Bienaime, Magdaline Lucien, Samantha Georges, Rousseau Chrisostome, Miligan Cange, Lynn Cange, Benji Fedestin, and Glenda Collins.

The Meus Family

Oczane is also survived by many members of the extended Meus family, including, but not limited to: Velere Meus; Serge Meus and family; Jude Meus and family; Pierre-Paul Meus and family; Eli Meus and family; and Elizabeth Meus and family.

The Altino Family

Oczane is also survived by many members of the extended Altino family, including, but not limited to: Nerva Altino and family and Robenson Altino and family.

The Devilme Family

Oczane is also survived by many members of the extended Devilme family, including, but not limited to: Nadia Devilme, Ricardo Devilme, Carline Devilme, Granville Devilme, Gertrude Charles Devilme, Eberson Romand, Dina R. Therodore, Junie Pierre, Cateline Alexis, Marvens Alexis, and Dianca Alexis.

Her memory is further carried by her surviving siblings, nieces and nephews, extended relatives, lifelong friends, former coworkers, neighbors, and generations of members of her beloved Beracah church family whose lives she touched through decades of faithful service.

The Many Roles She Held in Our Lives

To some, Oczane was a sister, aunt, relative, mentor, or friend.

To others, she was a coworker, neighbor, church member, treasurer, or Deaconess.

To her grandsons, she was Grandmother.

And to her only son, she was simply Mom.

Those who loved Oczane will remember much more than the dates, places, and accomplishments that marked her 89 years. They will remember the woman behind them—the determined Haitian girl who became a self-reliant woman; the immigrant who created a life in a new country; the mother who sacrificed and opened doors of opportunity for the generation that followed; the grandmother who watched another generation grow; and the faithful woman whose relationship with God remained an enduring part of who she was.

Her Legacy Lives On

On September 4, 2026, Oczane’s earthly journey came to its close at the age of 89.

The distance between Malik, Haiti, where her story began, and Georgia, where her final chapter was written, spans thousands of miles. Yet the true measure of her journey cannot be found on a map.

It is found in the family she nurtured, the church she helped build, the sacrifices she made, the obstacles she overcame, the independence she maintained, and the faith that sustained her through it all.

Perhaps that is the most enduring lesson of Oczane Joseph’s life: the circumstances in which a person begins do not have to determine the legacy they leave behind.

A girl from humble beginnings in Haiti, educated only through the seventh grade, crossed borders and languages and built a life through work, faith, sacrifice, and determination. She created opportunities she herself had never been given, and through the example of her life, she helped prepare the generations that followed her to reach heights beyond those she could once have imagined.

That is Oczane’s legacy.

The words of Matthew 25:21, chosen by her family to honor her life, beautifully reflect that legacy:

“Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Forever in our hearts, always in our lives.

A Wake Visitation will be held at Beracah I French SDA Church, 1517 Mercy Dr, Orlando, FL 32808, US, on September 19, 2026, from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm, followed by a Wake Service at Beracah I French SDA Church, 1517 Mercy Dr, Orlando, FL 32818, on September 19, 2026, from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.  

Visitation will take place at Beracah II French SDA Church, 6330 Moore St, Orlando, FL 32818, US, on September 20, 2026, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm, followed by the Funeral Service at Beracah II French SDA Church, 6330 Moore St, Orlando, FL 32818, US, on September 20, 2026, at 12:00 pm.  

A Committal Service will be held at Woodlawn Memorial Park & Funeral Home, 400 Woodlawn Cemetery Road, Gotha, FL 34734, US, on September 20, 2026, at 3:00 pm.