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Jennie planted a tree in memory of Pierre Desir
Sunday, April 28, 2024
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Rachel Max posted a condolence
Thursday, January 11, 2024
At first sight, for a 5 foot tall, 18 year old film school freshman, Pierre was impressive and intimidating. It quickly became clear though that Pierre was warm, caring, and astonishingly unpretentious - especially given his knowledge and experience. I’m not sure I’d seen a black & white film before Pierre’s class where he taught us about French New Wave Cinema and Italian neorealism. We watched and discussed films by Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut, and Michelangelo Antonioni among others. He encouraged us to incorporate unconventional ways of storytelling in our own work and to think critically about what we watched and the world around us. I’ve often thought about Pierre over the years. He made a lasting impression on me and many in my cohort. We were lucky to have him as a professor. My deepest condolences to his friends and family.
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Bari Falese posted a condolence
Thursday, January 11, 2024
My heart is lost these weeks since Pierre left us. We knew each other for over 60 years. That kind of friendship goes through many phases. We were kids, then teenagers, then off to college, but we stayed in touch. Later we became parents and how quickly we grew older and supported each other. He helped in so many ways. He’d surprise us when he’d figure out how to keep our tractor running or fixing something mechanical. The most significant thing we shared was creativity. It began when we were young artists and these last years as writers. He gave and received feedback and praise and we shared a wide spectrum of knowledge. I will miss the great conversations we had and the fun times. Throughout these last two years, he never complained. These last few months, he struggled with his health but he was patient with everyone, positive and still made people smile. I only wish we had more time.
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The family of Pierre Hermann Louverture Desir uploaded a photo
Tuesday, January 9, 2024
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The family of Pierre Hermann Louverture Desir uploaded a photo
Tuesday, January 9, 2024
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The family of Pierre Hermann Louverture Desir uploaded a photo
Tuesday, January 9, 2024
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Ardelle Hirsch uploaded photo(s)
Tuesday, January 9, 2024
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I met Pierre 7 years ago in a memoir witting group in Albany NY. The first thing I noticed about Pierre was his size: he occupied a lot of space. Which makes sense. How could one body house all that was Pierre? Especially his enormous heart?
A true artist, natural storyteller and teacher, renowned filmmaker and writer, even at 76, he was impatient to begin a new project. Usually clad in his quintessential, well-worn leather vest and favorite cap, his memoir pieces revealed riveting tales about his cross-country motorcycle jaunts, cinematic and artistic endeavors, mixed ethnicity, LSD trips, Haitian heritage, Muhammad Ali, and world-wide travels. Simon and Schuster worthy stuff, all.
Never in a hurry, he spoke deliberately with patience and wisdom acquired from decades of experiences, both harsh and hallowed. He selected each word slowly, the way one inspects a pineapple at a market, always looking for something unseen, knowing that hidden treasures await inside.
"What am I?" he asked with a plaintive sigh over lunch a few months ago. He acknowledged he looked too dark to be White and too light to be Black. "As a kid, I never really knew where I belonged. I still don't," he lamented.
But he was comfortable in his skin and in his clothes, which he held onto for a long, long time. I often wished I had a needle and thread with me at lunch to do a quick repair. He talked about living in Haiti, about his dad, a diplomat, and his mom, a pediatrician who was often paid with chickens or baskets of produce left at their door. He never understood intolerance. Or indifference. He wanted to know more about everything, including himself.
In November, I noticed he was not attending our weekly Zoom memoir group. “Where are you, Pierre? You ok? I texted.
“Nope cancer is back and Covid on top of that. Otherwise doing okay.”
Within a month he was gone. Even now, I cannot imagine that anything could silence Pierre.
How sad I am that I knew so little about him and the stories he never finished. I wish I had asked more questions; had lunch with him more often. I wish I knew the people he spoke about with such reverence, especially his daughter and grandchild.
I loved our talks. He shared musings about the use and impact of color - in art, in people’s skin, and in the shades of one’s ideologies and perspectives. We talked about writing, teaching, photography, cinema. “I always listen to you,” he would say. And he did. Pierre knew what it meant to be present; he paid attention. He noticed the details. I was always in a better mood after we spoke.
Our lengthy conversations often began with a beef about one thing or another. Let me tell you what I’m annoyed about today, Pierre. I’m really annoyed that you’re gone.
In one of our last conversations, I scolded him for his self-deprecating remarks. He was impatient with himself for speaking too quickly, for offering a harsh critique to another writer.
The past few years, some health challenges demanded his attention, and perhaps explained some of his grumpiness, but Pierre never really complained. He said what he thought, without edits. Sometimes a bit blunt or chastising, “Why don’t people put their names on their paper? I want to know who wrote this.”
“Pierre! You think of yourself as such a curmudgeon, but honestly, you’re such a little teddy bear!” My assessment of him always made him chuckle. Indeed, his giant stature, shrouded in leather and dangling chains, harrowing tales of LSD trips, unforgettable dalliances, and meandering cross country trips on The Dog conjured up a highly inaccurate bad boy persona.
I saw the childlike wonder that defined Pierre. He looked at everything the way a child investigates a sparkly granite stone, turning it over and over between his fingertips, enchanted by the texture and possibilities.
So grateful am I to have had the privilege of knowing him, of listening to his inimitable, unique voice as he read his wonderful narratives in our group, bringing us along on the back of his bike for one adventure after another.
”How did that story end? The one about Francesca?” I asked a few weeks ago.
“Ahhhhh. You’ll have to wait to see what happens…”
But then, he was gone.
I once asked about the familiar greeting at the end of his voice mail. “Laissez le bontemps roulez is fractured French for let the good times roll,” he said.
I hope you knew that I cared about you, Pierre. You leave a very large space …
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Jennifer Mercurio posted a condolence
Sunday, January 7, 2024
Pierre was my Dad's (John Hochheimer's) best friend.
My husband and I were thrilled that Pierre, his sister Norma, and his brother-in-law Steve could all attend our wedding on Block Island so many many years ago. He thought Joseph and I were a bit too staid in our dancing, so he took a turn and spun me around the dance floor. He was magnificent.
He was always warm, compassionate, and supportive. He was intensely intelligent and deep. I tear up thinking about our final calls.
Pierre appreciated good cooking, and he and my husband spent many visits chatting about food, culture, and politics. Joe would make dishes that Pierre would recall his mother making and I tried to do so after Joseph's passing a few years ago.
I was moved beyond words that he drove down for Joe's funeral.
He taught both me and my daughter backgammon, and we played many many (many) games until he could no longer travel and then we were to stay away due to the covid.
Pierre will be missed. Ellie and I will miss him. I am thankful to have known him, and that Joe and Ellie got to know him too. HIs memory will always be a blessing.
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Norma Desir-Smith uploaded photo(s)
Thursday, January 4, 2024
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These are a photo of Norma, Pierre, their brother Richard, and Norma's husband, Steve. In memory of my brother, much love, Norma
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Paul Lamar posted a condolence
Thursday, January 4, 2024
Pierre took the members of With Pen in Hand all over the world, from childhood events in New Jersey to Africa to California during the 60s to motorcycle trips across the country. He put us right there in the moment, in a particular place with people who sprang to life in his vivid writing. How fortunate we were to see this wide world through Pierre's keen eye!
We'll miss him, but we'll remember his wicked smile and great heart with love.
Paul Lamar
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Dan Kaufman posted a condolence
Monday, December 25, 2023
Pierre had a tremendous impact on me when Inwas a student at IC. I still think about the things he said and taught almost daily - from the pragmatic (how to coil a cord) to the profound (many lessons on film and art) to the hilarious (“that’s one expensive piece of black leader.”) While it’s sad we have lost an amazing artist, teacher, and human we are lucky to have known him. My condolences to his family.
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Dan Kaufman planted a tree in memory of Pierre Desir
Monday, December 25, 2023
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Barb Terrell posted a condolence
Sunday, December 24, 2023
I was the administrative assistant for the film department at Ithaca College. Pierre was more than a faculty member to me, he was a very good friend. I loved the way he made the students his priority. The world has lost a wonderful man.
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Ray Van Ness posted a condolence
Friday, December 22, 2023
I didn't know Pierre well enough to consider him a friend, but I definitely consider him someone that I would have been friends with had our paths crossed for longer.
At Ithaca I remember walking in slightly late (come on Pierre, it was like 10 seconds), and he said Mr. Van Ness, glad you could join us. I fired back, I'm damn glad to be here Pierre. I remember him laughing to himself. He respected me and I could feel it, and I hope he felt the same for me.
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Rex Heftmann posted a condolence
Thursday, December 21, 2023
I only met Pierre a few times. Our friend Paul Potash invited him to a weekly lunch a few of us shared at “the Bench” on a rocky beach in La Jolla, California. Not many people ever got invited to join us, so Pierre’s attendance in itself would be noteworthy, but as usual, Paul being a connoisseur of the art of friendship, Pierre was a welcome addition when he came to San Diego, usually when he was teaching film at UC San Diego, sometimes when he’d just come West on his motorcycle to visit.
Let me describe two incidents which, like Pierre himself, were not dramatic, but significant:
He and I were sharing our views and stories about student/teacher relations and professionalism. The asymmetry caused by a teacher’s obligation to judge students is unusual and awkward, which may be why students default to an obsequious sort of Stockholm Syndrome. I tried to let the students know I don’t play favorites by saying we aren’t friends, it’s a teacher/student relation. That was not quite the right thing to say, though; it could easily aggravate the misunderstanding. Pierre’s approach was much more humane and ethical; he would say “we aren’t friends, but we are friendly.” I’ve paraphrased him every class since.
One Friday at the Bench, the topic of the day was the tsunami alert for the beach, the expectation being for what would probably be nothing, so when we unwrapped our sandwiches attention quickly turned from the beach to the bench. Pierre, however, noticed that the tide seemed to have dropped a few feet in a few minutes. Everyone else had far more experience in wave watching, so it took the rest of us far too long to realize he was right. Often the only visible evidence of a “tidal wave” is not a giant killer wave, but a quiet recession of the ocean. That rare event didn’t have nearly the impact on us as Pierre’s independent perception.
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Carol DeNatale posted a condolence
Thursday, December 21, 2023
Pierre lived with us for two years while working at Ithaca College. His dog, Boo, loved our Newfoundland and we really enjoyed living with both of them. We are so sorry to hear of his passing. We will look for photographs. Carol and Michael
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Paul Potash uploaded photo(s)
Wednesday, December 20, 2023
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A few more photos....
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Anne Rokeach posted a condolence
Tuesday, December 19, 2023
Pierre, a/k/a Robespierre, one of a kind, one in a million, a billion, and maybe even a zillion. An artist of visuals and words whom those of us who knew him only too briefly will remember him forever while new, untraveled roads call him away. He will be missed.
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John P. Chicoine uploaded photo(s)
Tuesday, December 19, 2023
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Here are a few pictures of Pierre from our Guzzi gatherings sent to me. You can see his arm not looking too good after the fall I wrote about in my first post. Two are from Bud's turkey fry and Pierre looks ready to eat! The last one is in front of Elmer's in Ashfield, MA.
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T Halchuk uploaded photo(s)
Monday, December 18, 2023
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Pierre was a wonderful human being. He will be missed. Here are a few pictures from several of the rallies he attended. He won the infamous Burnt Clutch award for being a great guy with a huge caring heart. There are several pictures of various friends. Still another picture of him holding court with Duff. Great memories. Godspeed my friend.
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Michael O'Farrell posted a condolence
Monday, December 18, 2023
Pierre was a fascinating man.well travelled , both in the living and journeying, so brilliantly reflected in his memoir writing. I remember several times when seated next to him at Howe Library's Pen In Hand class. Pierre was a film professor and we would have very spirited discussions about movies before class started. Pierre was an outstanding writer. His stories of his college years from the mid to late 1960s were so evocative, vivid accounts of his college days in those turbulent times , his words so vivid and teeming with life, they literally jumped off the page as you read and listened to his work. Pierre was a brilliant man, a powerful voice on the page and in his person. He will be missed.
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John Hochheimer lit a candle
Monday, December 18, 2023
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Pierre and I were tight buddies for more than 30 years, beginning when he came to Ithaca College in the early '90s.
We shared passions for Pacifica Radio, jazz, politics, teaching, film, ganja, and the good things in life: love and friendship.
He was Best Man at AnnRae's and my wedding in 2021.
I will miss him dearly.
RIP, Robes
And,
Laissez le bon temps rouler!
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John P. Chicoine lit a candle
Monday, December 18, 2023
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Pierre and I met at a Moto Guzzi rally some years ago and I always enjoyed talking to him at subsequent gatherings. Once while he was teaching at Tulane I let him know I'd be coming into town on business. He picked me up at the airport in a ratty little pickup. "Ever been to Coops?", I asked. He hadn't, I'd read it was good, so we made our way to the world of incredible fried chicken. We sat at the bar eating some of the best LA has to offer while enjoying a cold beer. I've been back to Coops a number of times since then and always think of Pierre when I go.
On another occasion Pierre and I ended up in a group ride, the pace of which got ridiculously fast for the roads we were on. At one point Pierre hit a patch of sand and went down. A few of us made sure he was okay apart from his obvious road rash then rode into Pittsfield with him to get some anti bacterial ointment, bandages, etc. From there we walked to a sandwich shop and ate lunch while we consoled Pierre by making jokes at his expense. He knew he was among friends who had his back in spite of our sarcasm. Everyone liked Pierre, he will be sorely missed.
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Paul Potash uploaded photo(s)
Monday, December 18, 2023
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The day greeted me with such sad news of the passing of my dear friend Pierre.
Our friendship goes way back to the sixties.
Sharing time with Franz, Ricky, Norma, Papa and Mom, what an amazing family to have been privileged to know and be with.
Pierre was such a sweet guy. And was so well articulated in his thoughts and opinions as well as his artwork.
His paintings were very special and hopefully will be preserved by his family and any who are fortunate enough to own one.
So many memories, too many to list all here, but they will remain in my heart.
Motorcycle trips together, deep discussions of art, of his heritage, of his family. I always enjoyed our time together.
Rest in peace dear Pierre. I send you my love.
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Patricia McKay posted a condolence
Monday, December 18, 2023
Pierre was a brilliant member of the memoir writing group in Albany, NY, where I met him in 2022. He shared such vivid descriptions of a cross country motorcycle trip (Crow Dog) that it feels as if I've seen it on film. Some of his beautiful sensory-laden language from Part 7: "stepping into the brisk air of morning; a clean blast of sun in my eyes; I dove into the road going West; day was still chasing away the night; the noisy clamor of a disturbed cowbell." His words painted pictures of his life and when he read them to our group, they sprang to life again. He wrote with an urgency by the time that I met him, because he had so much to say and time was running away. He gave criticism (positive and negative) to his fellow writers and no one doubted that he meant what he said.
Pierre's stories are not lost to the world; I hope he finished what he set out to do on this earth.
Patty McKay
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Patty Clark posted a condolence
Sunday, December 17, 2023
Pierre was Melnitz Hall. I can’t think of UCLA without him. I will always be thankful for the kindness he showed me. I knew so little, but he was always generous with his time and knowledge. A beautiful, sweet, talented man.
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Barbara Honig posted a condolence
Sunday, December 17, 2023
I was so sad to hear of Pierre’s passing. We have so many memories through the work of the BV in Los Angeles organizing brigades to Cuba and going there. What a talented and kind man. I know he will continue to live in our hearts . ❤️
Barbara Honig
A Memorial Tree was planted for Pierre Desir
Thursday, December 14, 2023
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