Robert Depardieu

Robert was born in 1931, in Paris. In 1940, he was 9 years old at summer camp in Brittany when Germany invaded France and took Paris. The school kept the children away for 3 years, and when he returned, he witnessed the American liberation of Paris. Living in a war zone as he did is something we can only imagine in our worst nightmares today. He recalls constant hunger and living with one set of clothes, wool shorts all year, even in winter.

In 1949, at the age of 17, Robert got an introduction to the “Compagnie Generale Transatlantique”, the French Line. He recalls turning 18 on his first voyage to the US. In the online register from Ellis Island you can find his name in over 60 records from 1949 to 1954, documenting each time a ship he was working on landed in the US. He will point out to you that he worked in the First Class cabin, where the service requirements were very high indeed.

Military Service - France required military service at 20 years of age. Since he was working on ships, he missed a registration cutoff, and was placed into the “class” of 1954, rather than 1951, which should have been his year of entry. It appears this is the beginning of some good luck, as he was assigned to work as an aide to a French General because of his hotellerie experience. This General was in charge of the military hospital system for the French Army in Paris during the Algerian war. As such Robert was stationed in Paris, and never shipped off to fight in Algeria. He exited the Army in 1957 and he went back to working on ships. Having been to New York many times, he decided to apply for US citizenship to work there.

Robert married Denise in 1959 and they have lived in Astoria since. In 1961, Michael was born, and in 1965 Jacques. In 1965 they also bought a summer house in Shirley, Long Island which became the family’s center of weekend and summer activity, enjoying fishing, boating and bike riding. Robert worked his way up through the New York City restaurant business as a waiter, captain, sommelier then manager at names such as “Café Chauveron”, “Le Poulailler”, “Tucano” and the Carlyle Hotel. He was always well liked by New York City’s elite society.

Robert retired early at 60 years of age and spent time at his home in Shirley, fishing and boating and he also made trips to France with Denise and the family. He also spent time helping a new business expand, working at the Foreign Car Center in Long island City and taking care of his Peugeots and finally his beloved 1992 Mercedes.

As he got older he enjoyed party boat fishing and taking day trips to Port Washington and other seaside spots with his ever faithful wife Denise. He was well known to the Astoria gourmet market owners on Broadway and Grand Avenue where the weekly or more frequent pilgrimages to the bakery for bread, butcher, fish market, greengrocer and gourmet delis was the family norm. Supermarkets were reserved for staples and household goods.

As he got older and less mobile, his travel circle got smaller and smaller. In the last few years he would walk to his car which he really could no longer safely drive, and pull his beach chair out of the back. He would sit next to his car in the Queensview parking lot and hang out and crack jokes with the staff as they passed by. We will miss his energy, sense of humor and perfectionism.