Born March 19, 1945 in Petit Riviere De Nippes, of Leblanc Louis and Angel Casimir, both deceased, Mento Louis embodied a sturdiness that would propel him to a life of faith, conviction, and love of family and Kingdom. He completed his secondary education at St. Ghor in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He met the angel of his life, Marie Jeanne Josephine Zephirin, in 1968 and married on October 28, 1971. After years of trying for a child, God blessed them with their first daughter Menrika Sarah four years later. Soon after came “La Reine” Esther Sindia.
Realizing the unstable, political climate in Haiti, he emigrated first to Canada, then in December of 1980, with the help of his good friend, Jude Roseau, he moved to the United States and has resided in Boston ever since. A man of precision and focus, he never wavered from his family responsibilities and duties. Since his arrival, he worked 2 jobs to bring his wife and 2 daughters to the United States. And in 1987, he reunited with his 2 daughters and his wife in 1988.
Mento was a multi-faceted man.
A Guitar Player – Mento loved all music genres with a particular attention to romantic and classical songs in French, Spanish, and English.
An Artist – he loved to paint and was never able to reconnect with his many paintings that are still in Haiti.
A Man of Faith – he cared deeply for his church, First Haitian Baptist Church where he served in several committees with a particular attention and love for the choir. He sung in many choirs with a distinguished baritone. Most recently, he served on the Board of Directors and the Finance Committee.
A Father – Mento emphasized education, strong work ethics, and high standards for his 2 daughters. They were the apple of his eyes. He continued to work 2 jobs until 2010 so that his daughters would complete their undergraduate and graduate studies.
A Family Man – his family in Haiti was equally important to him and has supported his only sister Angeveline with her 6 children and many of his extended family there.
A Grandfather – he wholeheartedly loved his 3 grandchildren. Often, he would play fake Karate matches with them and would find a way to snatch a victory from all 3. Daily, he brought them to school and picked them up. He fed them and made sure that they behaved. He had a way to communicate and affirm them. He was their biggest cheerleader and instilled in them a resilience to achieve “the beyond.”
His Interests/Hobbies – in his spare time, he would disassemble radio equipment and sought to reconstruct them through rote memory and gifted instinct…a creativity he inherited from his father. He loved being a videographer and was the one to capture many precious memories for his family and church. He was also one of the best auditory car mechanics. If you needed to know if your car needed repairs, Mento would take a listen and would let you know by making the sound and would tell you “you are going to need to change that timing belt”. One of his favorite pastimes was watching Wrestling, especially WrestleMania.
To know Mento is to know that he was a man of integrity, dignity, respect and honest to the core. He loved deeply. He sacrificed much for his family and his extended family. He was faithful to God and his wife. He was bold in generosity with a servant heart. He was there for anyone who needed him. He loved being a dad and grandpa and would say it to anyone who asked him.
After his third pacemaker surgery explant/implant, he contracted the COVID-19 virus. He succumbed to the impact of this complex medical disease on October 6, 2021. He will be missed as he played such a pivotal part in all our lives who were blessed to have known him. He showcased the love of Jesus Christ to all and lived the life as Maya Angelou would say, “people will never forget how you made them feel”.
Mento has left a legacy and has passed the baton to those he left behind, which is to follow God, love your family, help those you can, as he would remind all of us “to much is given, much is and will be required”.
Mento is survived by his wife Marie Jeanne Louis, his daughter Menrika and MacArthur (her husband) and his grandchild Marc Louis Cherenfant; his daughter Esther, Pascal (her husband) and his grandchildren Pascal Jonathan Jeudi and JuliAnne Faith Jeudi; his sister AngeVeline Louis, her children Jean Randolph Louis, Jacky Valencia Louis, and her family, Joelson Elysse and his family, Berlande Ysbeck and her family, Bertrand Elysse and his family; his stepbrother Serge Louis and his family; his nephews Pierre Paul Zephirin, Roland St Vil and his family, George St Vil, Federal Zephirin and his family, James Paul, Lionel Zephirin and his family, Emmanuel Zephirin, Jean Gardy Moise; his nieces Ferdy Moise, Marjorie Zephirin, Gina Louis, Gade Moise; his cousins and many close friends and relatives who were dear to him.
A viewing will be held Saturday October 16, 2021 from 8:30-9:30 AM followed by a service from 9:30 - 11 AM in the First Haitian Baptist Church located at 397 Blue Hill Ave, Dorchester, Ma. 02121. Burial will be in St. Michael Cemetery following the service.
In lieu of flowers/gifts for Mento Louis, please send donations to First Haitian Baptist Church (397 Blue Hill Avenue Dorchester, MA 02121) or by accessing this link https://www.fhbcofboston.org/