Réjane Carmen Soucy of Nashville, Tennessee

March 16, 1927 - August 21, 2020

Réjane Soucy, 93, born in Montreal, Québec on March 16, 1927 and departed this life on Friday, August 21, 2020. The second of three daughters of Imelda Tessier and Arthur Soucy, Réjane spent her childhood in Québec where she attended boarding school under the tutelage of the Catholic Sisters.  She later studied at Collège Saint-Maurice in St. Hyacinthe, Québec. She received her degree in Library Science from McGill University in Montreal, Québec and in English-French translation from Georgetown University in Washington D.C.

After graduation, she used her bilingual skills to pursue a career, moving to Washington D.C. where she had the pleasure to work with Tunisia’s president, Mr. Habib Bourguiba while serving as the Secretary to the first Ambassador to Tunisia, Mr. Mongi Slim. She also worked for the Algerian Embassy and the International Monetary Fund.

She married James P. Goldfrank in 1957 and gave birth to her two beloved daughters, Caroline Marie and Catherine Anne. She resided with her family in Adelphi, Maryland and Reston, Virginia.

Her 1987 divorce precipitated a move to Huntsville, Alabama where she spent many happy years working as a French translator and technical writer for Intergraph Corp. Upon her retirement from Intergraph, she relocated to Nashville, Tennessee where she continued her working career until her late eighties. She shared her love of the French language by teaching employees at several companies including Square D and Schneider Electric, as well as tutoring many individual students who all became dear friends.

Réjane was known around Nashville as a fantastic dancer, and often danced the night away to Contra, Cajun, or Zydeco music. She was light on her feet with a twinkle in her eyes and never sat down because so many people wanted to share a dance with her!

Réjane found much joy from her association with the Alliance Française of Nashville. This is where she met many dear friends and the true love of her life, Joseph Parello. Joseph and Réjane fell in love while working together on a translation of a historically important documentary “Cette part d’humanité".  The documentary included interviews of families in the southeastern part of France that helped Jewish children escape during the Holocaust, as well as those that were rescued.  Shortly after Joseph and Réjane became a couple, she began to suffer memory loss.  They remained loyal companions for the following six years, enjoying many trips together to Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia, Québec and France. Joseph will always remain a member of Réjane’s family as he is dearly loved.

Réjane is preceded in death by her two sisters, Lorette and Mariette Soucy, and she leaves behind a large and loving family.  Her daughters and their husbands Caroline and Bob Kuhfahl of Ashburn, VA and Catherine Fair and Larry Barkman of Stamford, CT, as well as six grandchildren; Rebecca Dahlinger, Justin Kuhfahl, Christopher Dahlinger, Kyle Kuhfahl, Michelle Kuhfahl and Ethan Fair; and two great granddaughters Analise and Madison Rodriguez-Dahlinger.

Réjane’s bright light will shine forever in the hearts and memories of the many people whose lives she touched. Among them her niece and nephews in Québec, Anne Thibaudeau and husband Dirk Kooyman, Pierre Thibaudeau and his wife Danny Lapointe and Stéphan Phillips as well as their children and grandchildren, and the sons of Joseph Parello and their families; Emmanuel of San Diego, CA; Vincent of Montpelier, France and Jonas of Gentofte, Denmark .

She also leaves behind to cherish her memory many dear Nashville friends including Margie Myers, Jocelyne Bezzi, Marie-Pierre Isherwood, Monique Griffin, and Terra Forest.

A celebration of Réjane‘s life will be held in Nashville, TN at a later date, and another celebration in her homeland, Montreal, Québec, where she will be laid to rest with her parents and sister Lorette. This page will be updated as soon as plans are finalized.

Réjane’s family would like to express their sincere gratitude for the loving care she received at Nashville’s Belmont Village Senior Living and by CARIS Healthcare. We would like to especially thank Memory Program Coordinator, Christie Hendrich, who worked tirelessly to keep us connected from a distance, and for "loving on" our Maman when we weren’t able to. Réjane was loved by all who knew her and although her life ended during the quarantine and due to COVID-19, she was never alone.

In their shared love, Réjane and Joseph, included their admiration for Rembrandt with the accompanying verses by Charles Baudelaire in his celebrated poem “Les Phares”, in “Les fleurs du mal”.

Car c'est vraiment, Seigneur, le meilleur témoignage
Que nous puissions donner de notre dignité
Que cet ardent sanglot qui roule d'âge en âge
Et vient mourir au bord de votre éternité!

We would like to end with another poem translated in French that demonstrates the beauty of the French language. The original English version is called “Death is Nothing at All”, author Henry Scott-Holland.

Je suis juste de l’autre côté du chemin

La mort n’est rien,
je suis seulement passé, dans la pièce à côté.
Je suis moi. Vous êtes vous.
Ce que j’étais pour vous, je le suis toujours.

Donnez-moi le nom que vous m’avez toujours donné,
parlez-moi comme vous l’avez toujours fait.
N’employez pas un ton différent, ne prenez pas un air solennel ou triste.
Continuez à rire de ce qui nous faisait rire ensemble.

Priez, souriez, pensez à moi, priez pour moi.

Que mon nom soit prononcé à la maison
comme il l’a toujours été,
sans emphase d’aucune sorte,
sans une trace d’ombre.

La vie signifie tout ce qu’elle a toujours été.
Le fil n’est pas coupé.
Pourquoi serais-je hors de vos pensées,
simplement parce que je suis hors de votre vue ?
Je ne suis pas loin, juste de l’autre côté du chemin.

Vous voyez, tout est bien.

For those wishing to make a memorial donation, the family asks that friends support the Alliance Française of Nashville. The Alliance Française is a nonprofit 501©(3) organization whose mission is to increase appreciation for the French language and francophone cultures worldwide and, in so doing, reinforce the Franco-American friendship. To fulfill this mission, AFN organizes cultural events in the community, offers French classes and topical workshops, and funds two scholarships annually. AFN is also committed to providing a place where recent arrivals from francophone nations can make significant connections with other French speakers in Nashville.  To make a donation, please visit https://afnashville.org/get- involved/donate/