Leslie Jean Baptiste Obituary
Leslie Jean Baptiste died on 2/2/21 at her home in Roselle, NJ. She was born on April 28, 1945 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti to Ninette and Alex Jean Simon. She was the second oldest of four children: Maryse, Adler, and Yvonne.
Leslie immigrated to the US in 1973 joining other Haitian immigrants in New Jersey. She met a familiar young man, Ricot Jean Baptiste from her Haiti days and struck up a romantic relationship. They married in 1975 and moved together to a humble apartment in Linden, NJ.
Together they had two sons, Ricot Jean Baptiste, Jr in 1978 and Jayson Jean Baptiste in 1981. With the growing family, they needed a bigger space and bought a home together in Roselle, NJ where they would then spend the next 30+ years. Leslie attended night school to become proficient in English.
Learning the language enabled her to get her first job as an assembly line worker at a window company. During her time there she attended classes to become a certified nursing assistant where she would spend the remainder of her career. She worked at Ashbrook Rehabilitation Center for over 20 years, finally retiring in 2016.
She was beloved by many, not only for her sweet-smelling perfume, well-manicured hands, sense of humor, and catered dishes, but also for the joy and pride she had in what she did. On countless occasions, patients would tell family members and staff how special she was and what a bright light she exuded. She balanced her work with being a devoted wife and loving mother to her two sons.
She provided a home both sons could navigate between American and Haitian culture. She grounded her sons in their Haitian roots, by speaking to them only in her native language, Haitian Kreyol. Despite being in a foreign country and assimilating outside the home, inside it was very much a Haitian home.
She was a deeply faithful woman who would spend countless hours praying or shuttling to mass every Sunday. She had a passion for cooking and watching others enjoy her food. She would many times receive compliments about her cooking or baking that inspired dreams of owning her own restaurant, but life would take her in another direction, so she created a restaurant environment at her kitchen table.
She opened her doors to friends of her children, fellow co-workers, family, friends of the family, and neighbors with a goal to fill their stomachs with food and their hearts with the love she put into creating her delicious cuisine. She shared her love through her food, and was fulfilled seeing the joy she could bring to others through cooking. She is survived by her husband Ricot Sr., Helena and Ricot Jean Baptiste Jr., grandchildren Alex, Sabrina, Miles, Isabella, and Riley; Sarah and Jayson Jean Baptiste, grandchildren Zoë, Maya, and Ava.
She is predeceased by her parents, and her younger sister Yvonne and older sister Maryse. Funeral mass will be celebrate on Saturday February 13, 2021 at 9:00 am from the St. Theresa of Child Jesus Church 131 East Edgar Road Linden, N.J. Entombment will follow at the Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery 1500 Stuyvesant Ave. Union , NJ 'FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS'
