Jeanine Sam Jean-Pierre

OBITUARY - JEANINE “MANJA” SAM

June 24, 1931 - July 22, 2023

The life of Jeanine "Manja" Sam is one that most aspire to. A life full of quality relationships, quantity of years, and grand adventures.

Born in northern Haiti and raised in the small seaside town of Le Borgne, Jeanine was the fourth child of Kerlot and Alice Sam. She spent her childhood swimming in the ocean, riding horses, and taking boat rides along the riverbanks in the moonlight.

She was known for her strong will. So much so that her father named one of their more stubborn horses after her, "Ti Jeanine." It would be that same will that would call her to venture from her beloved Haiti to the United States.

After marriage and birthing three daughters in two years, 23-year-old Jeanine looked around and found minimal opportunities and an abundance of financial hardship. If you ever asked her why she left, it was simple. "I wanted a better education and future for my children. I could not accept my circumstances," she said. "I had to make a way."

She sold all of her furniture and silverware just to get enough money to buy her airplane ticket to New York. She left her children and everyone she knew and stepped into the dead of winter in Brooklyn, New York. She found work as a nanny and factory worker, sending her earnings back home to her mother.

After years of separation, Jeanine was finally settled and could bring her Irish triplets (Jessie, Geuttie, and Maggie) to New York. But Jeanine didn't stop there. She sponsored her siblings and parents to grant them passage to the United States, effectively giving her family a lifeline to thrive as conditions in Haiti became unbearable. But before she reached these triumphs, the how of it all was never at issue for Jeanine. Her deep faith in God unlocked all closed doors on her path. She walked in faith, knowing that in the end she would be reunited with her family.

Jeanine's world was her family. It began to grow rapidly with the birth of her fourth daughter Kathy. Then she became a grandmother - a role designed for her spirit as she was always ready to give a pep talk or indulge her grandchildren with money for the candy store. Both dedicated to her family but a practitioner of self-care, Jeanine exercised almost daily, traveled to five continents, and at the age of eighty rode an elephant up a mountain in Jaipur, India.

Brave. Vivacious. Unforgettable. A true legend.

Her legacy will live on in the hearts and minds of everyone she interacted with as well as those she reached but never met. Share your stories of remembrance on Friday, August 4, 2023, at Hartnett Funeral Home from 5 - 9 p.m. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, August 5, 2023, at St. Clare Church in Rosedale, NY at 10 a.m. Committal will proceed at Pinelawn Memorial Park followed by a repass. 

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