Raymond Cassagnol, age 102 of Oviedo, Florida, passed away peacefully in his home on June 24, 2023. Raymond was born on September 20, 1920 in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, the son of Louis and Valentine (Dupont) Cassagnol.
He is predeceased by his wife of 77 years, Valentine Cassagnol (Fifie), and daughter, Mireille Cassagnol, and survived by sons Jose (Jocelyne) Cassagnol, Raymond (Maud) Cassagnol, and Claude (Kathleen) Cassagnol; and daughter Dominique (Sal) Ballacchino and; 16 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren; and more numerous than can be counted in nieces, nephews and cousins!
In his early life, he served in the Haitian Airforce as Sergeant and was one of 5 Haitian pilots selected to travel from Haiti to the United States for military flight training in Tuskegee, Alabama. He successfully completed all phases of military flight training as part of the class of 43-G and received his pilot wings on July 28, 1943. Raymond was the first of five Haitian pilots to graduate at Tuskegee, and the last Haitian Tuskegee Airman left standing. Prior to his return home, he was promoted to Second Lieutenant by the Haitian Airforce which was somewhat of a major buzz in Haiti! He returned home and flew North American AT-6 Texans with the other Haitian airmen, patrolling the Caribbean, and successfully cutting off the Nazi food runs in WWII. He also became a lead pilot instructor, training many Haitian Airforce cadets to fly. Interesting fact: Raymond has two sets of wings – one from Tuskegee and one from the Haitian Airforce!
He eventually married Fifie on December 23, 1943 at "Paroisse du Sacre Coeur" – Parish of the Sacred Heart – the same church where they were both baptized! They were married for 77 years and experienced over 80 years of love and devotion. He always said that she was the real hero.
Raymond emigrated to the USA with his wife and children when he was 42 years old, not by choice but by necessity – to live. They escaped with their 5 children in the middle of the night via foot and donkey to the Dominican Republic and left everything behind as Duvalier was hunting him down to kill him. They came as political refugees – Raymond was involved in the Haitian Revolution of which Fifie was a "silent" supporter. He fought all his life against the tyranny and injustices of the Duvalier regime. His dream was to see Haiti restored and her people live without fear, with freedom, justice, and peace – he will hopefully see this happen one day from Heaven.
In his lifetime, Raymond was an entrepreneur; he owned a saw mill, a bakery and furniture wood shop to name a few businesses. He is a published author and wrote a 400-page autobiography in French titled, "Memoires d'un Revolutionnaire". Raymond and Fifie were faithful parishioners at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church for many year, more recently parishioners at Most Precious Blood Catholic Church in Oviedo, Florida. He had strong faith and together they were part of the King of Kings Charismatic Prayer Group for many years and enjoyed singing and praising the Lord!
Raymond loved deeply. He loved God, the Blessed Mother, his mother, his wife, his children, his nieces and nephews, his cousins, his grandchildren and great grandchildren. He loved his friends who were like family to him. He loved Haiti. He was courageous and dedicated. He had integrity. He had resilience. He could be a harsh man and many witnessed that Cassagnol ball of stubborn anger! But his heart was given over in love to those he fought so hard to defend.
His family invites you to attend a wake for Raymond on Friday, July 7, 2023 at DeGusipe Funeral Home in Maitland, FL from 05:00 pm to 08:00 pm as well as the Mass of Christian Burial at Most Precious Blood Catholic Church on Saturday, July 8, 2023 at 09:30 a.m. Inurnment will follow immediately after the Mass at Chapel Hill Cemetery. The Mass will be recorded and a YouTube link provided at a later time. Please check this site for the link.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to H.O.P.E Haiti Outreach-Pwoje Espwa, an outreach in Borgne, situated on Haiti's northern peninsula. They work to provide health and dental care, community-based education programs, and economic vitality. Select the DONATE button and follow the prompts for a gift in honor/memory of Raymond Cassagnol.
https://www.hopehaiti.org/