Funeral of Professor Hugue André Chrysostome: A Sea of People Bid Farewell

The funeral of Professor Hugue André Chrysostome, an eminent figure in Haitian education, took place on Saturday, January 24, at Pax Villa Funeral Home and Crematorium, in Maïs Gâté. Deceased on Thursday, January 15, 2026, shortly after his admission to the hospital around 6:10 PM, the man who was the product of at least six faculties in Haiti and Mexico leaves behind the image of an exceptional intellectual and an unparalleled educator.

The religious ceremony was presided over by Reverend Father Galy Mulaire St Jean. It gathered an impressive crowd: his brothers and sisters, close friends, his daughter Guetchina, his collaborators, his colleagues from Collège Bertrand Russell, an institution later renamed Collège Hugue André Chrysostome, his many protégés, generations of former students, as well as a delegation of students from Lycée Pétion, led by the current censor, Professor Cesner Denis, accompanied by director Dérival Carriey.

The funeral was also attended by numerous personalities from Petite Rivière de l’Artibonite, his hometown, as well as teachers, colleagues, former students, protégés, and educational, political, police, and civil authorities. Among those who came to pay their last respects were Me Claudette Belfont, Judge Rocky Pierre, Holl Déjour, Ronyxe, DDO1 Jacques Ader, former deputy Fredly Georges, Mylouse J. B. Blaise, Guirlaine, Marie, Blondel, Youl Jean Cajou, Jacqueline Jean-Baptiste (mother of two of his children) as well as Professors Jacques André Suprême, Chantal Suprême, Wilfrid Joacéus, and Frantz Fortuné, to name but a few.

Born on November 4, 1956, in Petite Rivière de l’Artibonite, Hugue André Chrysostome was above all a brilliant physics teacher, but also an engineer, psychologist, and linguist. His journey illustrates an inexhaustible thirst for knowledge and a rare intellectual versatility. He belonged to that category of educators who do not merely transmit knowledge, but who shape minds, awaken consciences, and inspire vocations.

A humble, sensitive, and generous man, he combined scientific rigor with human depth. His natural charisma, attentive listening, and ability to encourage made him a benchmark for his students and colleagues alike. He was, in many respects, a bulwark of the Haitian intelligentsia, convinced that education remains one of the essential pillars of national recovery.

In their moving testimonies, Mr. Harry Delva, a notable from Petite Rivière de l’Artibonite, his younger brother and friend Rubens Sylvain, as well as Guetchina Jean-Baptiste, one of his two daughters, all emphasized what everyone already knew: "Mèt la" (the Master), or Chryso, as his loved ones called him, was a patriot deeply attached to his country and its values. He loved others more than himself. He loved to bring people together, to soothe, to unite, to share, to discuss, to create connections. His life was a bridge between generations.