On February 26, 2021, Jacques Richard Charles Randanne de Vazeille passed away peacefully in his home on Lido Key, Florida surrounded by his loving family. Jacques was born on January 19, 1940, in San Francisco to Bruce and Marcelle (nee de Coppens). He was the oldest of three children and always a good brother to his two sisters, Jocelyne and Chantal.
The son of a Colonel, Jacques was one of the early “military brats” of the post-WWII era, moving with his family to his father’s postings in Germany, France, and Langley (Virginia). Following in his father’s footsteps, Jacques served in the Air Force from 1959 until 1963 and traveled the world in service to his country, stationed in India, France, and Kenya. Several years later in Germany, on the 7th of May 1965, Jacques married the love of his life, Marlene (nee Arp). He wisely realized that this tall, blonde, blue-eyed beauty was fiercely intelligent and had integrity mirroring his own. He had found his true partner and loved her more than life itself. He never feared death, he only worried about leaving her behind.
No matter what new places he found himself in, Jacques dove headfirst into the local culture, forging new, and often lifelong friendships, and learning the local languages. While his French was almost perfect, his German didn’t quite rise to that level, much to the delight of his friends in his adopted second home, Cologne. While he was able to speak German natively, he preferred to translate American idioms, which his friends will remember as hilarious statements such as, “What monkey shook your cage?”
When Jacques was posted at Cape Canaveral, the couple welcomed their daughter, Nathalie. His next job with RCA took him to Spain where his son, Nicolas was born in San Pablo AFB. Wanting to be closer to family, Jacques took a job with Litton industries in Germany and remained with the company until he retired as the Director of European Sales in 2003. It was there that his third child, Aymeric, was born at Wiesbaden AFB.
In 2003, after more than 30 years in Germany, Jacques and Marlene said goodbye to the long, gray winters and cold summers and moved to Sarasota, Florida, where they made their new home together and found new friends.
Jacques was a warm and gregarious man. He always saw the good in others and found joy in their shared humanity. Imbued with his French mother’s deep Catholicism, he approached every person anew with fresh eyes. Jacques was a deeply religious man that believed in his savior Jesus Christ. Following Christ’s example, he showed his love not only through charitable giving but also through countless acts of kindness to help those in need.
Jacques loved to socialize with his friends and truly adored being with his family. His wife and his children were a captive audience for his stories about his early life, his ancestors, and history in general. He regaled his family with accounts of childhood pranks, exploits as a young man, and well-lived life of adventure.
Jacques taught his boys about integrity and how to sweat a copper pipe, sometimes all at the same time. From him, they learned how to be self-sufficient and to value honesty above all else. His pride in his daughter knew no bounds. He believed in her, teaching her to be a strong woman from early on. He encouraged her to take on seemingly impossible tasks. He taught all his children that hard work overcomes all obstacles and that, “Only a job well done is a job done at all!”
Jacques was a true patriot. Having seen the world, he knew in his heart that there was no country he would rather call home than the country of his birth. He took great pride in his service to his country, not only during his 4 active years in the Air Force but also as a defense contractor for the next 40 years.
Jacques will be missed dearly by his family and all his friends, and most of all by his loving wife, Marlene.
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