Ismelia Canqui Pierre, mother, friend, community pillar and one of South Florida’s oldest residents passed away Aug. 9 at the age of 111. Pierre, more commonly known as Mrs. Caberno Pierre, leaves behind a rich legacy of service and care for others that will never be forgotten, according to her loved ones.
“I do not speak of my grandmother in the past. She is forever alive,” said Claude-Henry Pierre, 47, one of Pierre’s grandchildren. “She is a very strong woman, resilient and she's not only the mother of 11 children, she's the mother of a whole community.”
Pierre had been bedridden for the past couple of years. She lived with her youngest son, Nicodem Pierre, 62, in North Miami, and received daily at-home care. One of her caretakers ultimately exposed her to COVID-19 and she passed away from complications due to the virus a week later.
Pierre, one of South Florida’s few supercentenarians – or a person who has reached the age of 110 – was born July 3, 1910, in a neighborhood along the north coast of Haiti, called Haut-Limbe.
In her early 20s, she met and married her late husband Caberno Pierre, who was a farmer. Together they had 11 children and she worked as a retailer for some years before getting a job as a cook at a local school.
Described as a woman with a big heart and an amazing chef, Pierre would cook for the family and their neighbors in her spare time.
“She was the most amazing cook,” said Nicodem Pierre. “All my life we were always happy. I don’t know exactly what to pick as my favorite moment with her.”
“She was such an exquisite lady of class, and she cooked for the whole community,” said Claude-Henry Pierre. “Everything my grandmother touches turns to gold.”
Things weren’t always easy for Pierre, and she endured many hardships and heartbreaks throughout her life. On a global scale, she lived through two pandemics and both world wars. On a personal scale, several of her children passed away at a young age and she carried that hurt throughout her life, according to her family.
“[My parents] lost five boys and one girl before I was born. Only one of them made it to the age of 9,” said Nicodem Pierre.
“She suffered a lot because she lost most of her children at a very tender age,” Claude-Henry Pierre shared. “She didn't really see most of them grow up, and they were brilliant geniuses, from what I’m told. Very, very bright.”
Despite all of this, Pierre carried on and was able to experience many joys in life as well. She was able to experience four generations of her large family.
Pierre remained in Haiti for most of her life, along with her husband, as her surviving children moved to the U.S. Her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren visited her often.
“My favorite memories are when we would crack jokes and sit around my grandparents’ table at night,” Claude-Henry Pierre said. “My grandmother and my grandfather, who was a storyteller, would tell us all sorts of things and stories to teach us moral values and the right behavior.”
Pierre’s husband passed away in 1993, after a long and loving marriage. Then, in 2001, she moved to North Miami to live with Nicodem Pierre. She was 91 years old at the time. According to him, his mother was very healthy and active well into her 90s. She would cook for the family, spend time with friends in the neighborhood and go to church every Sunday.
Pierre became a U.S. citizen in 2006 and voted in several elections. Most notably, she was able to vote in the 2008 election when Barack Obama became the first Black president of the U.S., which she was very happy about.
After making it to her 100th birthday, her three remaining children, who all reside in Miami, began a birthday photo tradition. Each year they’d take a family photo to celebrate their mother’s long life and give thanks.
Pierre was honored by several local officials for being a centenarian. In 2010, former North Miami Mayor Andre Pierre named her birthday a local holiday to celebrate her role as a matriarch and beloved community member. In 2017, on her 107th birthday, she was honored by former Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Giménez, former North Miami Mayor Smith Joseph and former state Sen. Daphne Campbell of District 38.
“I remember a few years ago I went to visit and she asked me, ‘How are you doing? How do you treat your wife,’” Claude-Henry Pierre said. “I said ‘Good,’ and she said ‘I know, my son. I’m proud of you and I know you’ll never let me down.’ She was 100 plus years old and still checking on me.”
Wherever Pierre lived came to be known as a community center, according to her family. When people would come to visit, they would never leave empty-handed. There also were times she would take in children, giving them a place to stay when they had no one else. Even after her health started to decline, she would do little things to show she cared for those around her.
“She is brilliant, funny and at the same time reserved … She will also give you whatever she has,” Claude-Henry Pierre said.
Pierre’s funeral was held Aug. 21 at Haitian Evangelical Baptist Church in North Miami. The ceremony was full of emotion, as loved ones and community members expressed their gratitude and affection. All agreed that Pierre will never be forgotten, because of the way she touched their lives.