Anne Marie Yvonne Laplace

Anne Marie Yvonne LaPlace passed away at 7am on Wednesday, November 11, 2015 at MorseLife, West Palm Beach, Florida, at the age of 94. She was born Anne Marie Yvonne Aubin on January 16, 1921 in Grand Saline, Saint Barthelemy and married to Louis Phillippe LaPlace in 1943, now deceased from Lorient, Saint Barthelemy. Anne Marie is survived by her brother, Leonard Aubin, seven living children: Denise Brin and her husband Sylvie, their five sons and three grandchildren. Elva Ledee and her son and daughter. Phil LaPlace and his wife Lucette, their four children and six grand children. Rita Forsythe and her husband Wayne, their five children and seven grandchildren. Lily Bayard and her husband Danny, their four children and three grandchildren. Denis LaPlace and his wife Fay and their two sons. Robby LaPlace and his wife Yanny and their four daughters and two grandchildren. Anne Marie was a devoted and loving mother blessed with a total of seven living children, twenty-eight grandchildren and fourteen great grandchildren. She could be strong willed, especially when being protective of her family and lived her life as a pragmatist which led her to a reputation of being a firecracker when necessary. She was fortunate to have a green thumb and loved flowers and all things gardening with a passion for growing fruits and vegetables for practical purposes. Her early life would be considered difficult by today's modern standards when St. Barths was not the prosperous island it is today. She grew up in the time period of the great depression of 1929 through 1940 which taught her frugality and an appreciation of the possessions she has. As a result, Anne Marie LaPlace always believed in hard work and rolling up her sleeves with an entrepreneurial spirit and determination to put food on the table from small business activities as a seamstress, a baker, a farmer, a shopkeeper and any other activities she could engage in to make a profit for the benefit of her children's well being. Anne Marie would later migrate to St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands where together with her husband built a happy home until her Phillippe suddenly died of a heart attack at the young age of 49, leaving her to creatively hold her family together and to struggle with her fate of fostering them to adulthood as a single parent, which she did with great success. Anne Marie later moved to Florida and spent time living with her son Denis and later residing amongst Phil & Lucette and Lily and Danny's homes for the past 20 years or so. With declining health, Anne Marie required a higher level of medical assistance and she moved to Morse Life where the staff enjoyed her company and says "Mrs. LaPlace was one of our favorites" in the building. During her final days, Anne Marie enjoyed the loving visits of her children, grandchildren and even great grandchildren as she struggled to stay alive to say farewell to as many as she could. She died calmly and peacefully at dawn on a beautiful and sunny sunrise on a Wednesday morning. Farewell Anne Marie. A gentle wind blew cross the land Reaching out to take a hand For on the winds the angels came Calling out a mother's name. Left behind, the children's tears Loving memories of the years Of joy and love, a life well spent And now to God a mother's sent. On angel's wings, a heavenly flight The journey home, towards the light To those who weep, a life is gone But in God's love, 'tis but the dawn. Tim Chambers