Mrs. Marie Therese Racine

Marie Therese Thermitus was born on Apr. 17, 1933 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti to Lucrece Anacreon and Monpoint Thermitus. She was the apple of her father’s eye and as a young adult she became an educator for several years. Seeking a new challenge in a different environment, she immigrated to the United States when she was 29 and lived in Brooklyn, NY where she was subsequently joined by her future husband Max S. Racine. They welcomed their first child, their son Patrick in 1963 and then several years later their daughter Kathleen. Marie worked in banking for a few years for the Bank of New York where she would then help her husband secure a bookkeeping position as well. She then went to work at Abraham & Straus as an IBM keypunch operator at night so she could be with her young daughter during the day in the years before she was able to start school. Marie was fiercely devoted to her family and instilled in her children the importance of education and hard work. She was an excellent cook with an amazing sense of humor. Though she barely stood 5 feet tall, she was as tough as nails and would never back down from anyone who she perceived as trying to take advantage of her or her family. She was a woman of deep faith and never missed the chance to share her love of the Lord when the situation presented itself. She had eclectic taste in music, enjoying music from her native Haiti, love songs from popular French singing artists, inspirational songs and even some popular songs she’d hear on the radio. She liked the Frankie Valli song Sherry because she said it was one of the first songs she heard when she got to NY. In 1985 she lost her husband Max to leukemia. At that time she had went back to Haiti to live, but then returned for good in 1991. Without question the 2 biggest loves of her life would become her 2 granddaughters Imani & Trinity. Any conversation with her always began with the question “how are my girls”? She doted on them as hard as any grandmother who ever lived. Marie is survived by her daughter Kathleen, son Patrick, daughter-in-law Kelli, granddaughters Imani & Trinity and a host of “adopted” sons & daughters who over the years gravitated to her magnetic personality and nurturing charm. Mom, though you are gone in the physical sense, your spirit lives on. You will always be loved, never forgotten and forever missed.

Mrs. Marie Therese Racine

April 17, 1933 - September 11, 2021