Mariette Armande Loiseau

Mariette Armande Loiseau was born on September 23, 1927, on the beautiful Caribbean Island of St. Martin in French Cul De Sac part of the French West Indies to her parents, Father, Benjamin Hunt and Mother, Matilde Hodge Hunt. She was the baby of 5 children, 3 sisters, Marian, Erma, and Yvonne, and 1 brother Varo. She completed her schooling on the island where they were taught to speak both English and French fluently. Because Mariette had a sister named Marian, her family began to call her by her middle name Armande, to eliminate the confusion between the two, so her friends and family call her by her middle name “Armande.”

Armande met the love of her life Lucien in 1963, when he knocked on her family’s door in St. Martin as a colporteur. The two began dating long distance via writing letters and occasional phone calls. Her Aunt Bett lived in New York and agreed to sponsor her to come to the US, to become a US citizen. Lucien and Armande got married in French Canada October 9, 1965. They remained in Canada for a few years, and had their one and only child Linda, a few years later. After her husband finished up some of his studies, the family found themselves in Walla Walla WA where Armande worked there as a Certified Nursing Assistant and at the Walla Walla College bookstore. They then moved to Portland, OR, where Armande took some college courses through La Salle University. While her husband Lucien was working to obtain his master’s degree and working full time, she felt it was best to be a stay-at-home mother and decided to be a daycare mother where she took care of their daughter Linda and a few other young children. Once Linda started school at Portland Adventist Elementary, she started her career outside the home and worked for Albina Ministerial Alliance by becoming a Head Start teacher’s assistant, and then eventually a Head Start Teacher. She worked at the Iris Court and PCC Cascade campus’ for over 20 years. Armande enjoyed working with children ages 3-5 and preparing them for kindergarten and felt fulfilled doing so.

Armande became a member of the Sharon SDA church in 1970. She used to sing duets in French with her husband Lucien. She also enjoyed presenting the mission spotlight story for Sabbath School. She loved baking and cooking and entertaining people at their home on Sabbaths. In 1991 after the Your Bible Speaks (YBS) Evangelistic crusade in Portland, the church began to form. While the church was going to be made up of mostly young adults, Armande and Lucien were asked to leave Sharon church and help start the Your Bible Speaks Community Seventh-day Adventist church as mentors. Armande and Lucien became some of the founding members of Your Bible Speaks when it officially became a church in 1992. At Your Bible Speaks, she served as the Sabbath School Superintendent, Head Greeter, and member of the Hospitality committee. After serving at Your Bible Speaks church for 20 years, they returned to Sharon church where she continued to work in hospitality and invited people to their home and she served on the telephone committee and supported the prison ministry team by making lunches for them to eat once their day was complete. On October 15, 2022, the Sharon church awarded her for her many years of her volunteer service. She was so excited and honored to get this award.

Armande had a sarcastic sense of humor among her friends. She LOVED barbecue sauce and put it on nearly everything she ate. She also loved homemade pound cake and collected dolls and bear stuffed animals. Armande can also be best described as always being a sweet, kind woman who was happy to greet you with a big smile, hug, and a kiss.

Armande and Lucien had been married for 54 and a half years before he passed away in 2020. When she moved to her independent living apartment, she decided, since her sister Marian was no longer around, that she wanted to start being called by her first name finally: Mariette. For fun, in addition to cooking, baking, and entertaining, she enjoyed reading, shopping, spending late nights talking on the phone with her friends and spending time with her family, especially, her daughter Linda and son in law Derrick. Mariette moved to assisted living on October 3, 2022 and had only been there for 3 weeks before her heart attack. However, everyone there fell immediately in love with her and said how she was just a bright and shining light and had some sort of “aura” around her and made everyone happy to be with her. We know it was the love of God and presence of the Holy Spirit whom she loved with all her heart.

Mariette was preceded in death by her parents Benjamin & Matilde Hunt; her husband, Elder Lucien Lucille Loiseau; her brother, Vara Hunt; and her 3 sisters, Marian Hunt, Erma Hodge, and Yvonne Cyntje. She leaves to mourn, her daughter, Linda Marie Loiseau Foxworth and her son-in-law, Derrick Foxworth, Sr.; her step-grandchildren, Teela Foxworth and Derrick Foxworth, Jr., his wife Jamie, and 3 great-grandchildren, Olivia, Isaiah and Isaac; cousins, Charles Albert Hunt and Robertine “Jo” Hunt; and various members of the Cyntje, Defoi, Foxworth, Gellineau, Loiseau, Marshall, Ursulet, Wright families, along with an entire host of Hodge and Hunt nieces, nephews, cousins and friends in St. Martin and various states throughout the United States.

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