Madeleine Philippe Cancer Foundation (Aus) Inc

Eulogies read at Madeleine's funeral mass held on 17 Feb. 2011 at Resurrection Catholic Church in Keysborough, Melbourne, Australia

Danielle Paruit-Niece and Goddaughter of Madeleine

It has been said that there are two things in life that you can't avoid -
Taxes and Death. No matter how creative your accountant, there is no escape from consumption tax.

As for Death, it is the Law of Nature. It is the stage of completion in the
Circle of Life, which has its beginning at Birth. That being said losing someone you love and care for is never easy...no matter how inevitable.
I have known Maddy all of my life- she was my aunt and my godmother, she was my friend.

I was a fortunate child, the first niece in the family, so for a few years
monopolised the attention and affection of my father's brothers and sisters.

From the very beginning, my relationship with Maddy was one of innate
understanding and acceptance of each other's character, full of joy,
laughter and respect- that never changed, never vacillated for 52 years.

One of the many characteristics that I most admired about Maddy was her
absolute forthrightness and raw honesty. You were never left wondering how
she felt or what she was thinking. Although I know that some people may have preferred a more mollycoddled or sanitised approach. This was very much a part of her DNA, no doubt inherited from my grandmother, which I feel that I have also inherited in part...gratefully.

I am sad that Maddy with the toughest of armour had to battle cancer for so
many years, only to eventually succumb and surrender.

I am sad that we will no longer share the cackling laughter and unique
moments of two people who understand each other, without having to say much.

I am sad that there will no longer be the clinking of the scotch glasses for
the ritual of having our trademark photos taken as we have done numerous
times over the years.

But I am comforted in my belief that Life, here on Earth is merely a
stopover. Maddy has transitioned to the next stage of her journey, to join her sister-Miche and brother- Guyto who have had a head start.

I am certain that Maddy's light will shine as brightly at her next
destination , as it has here. I'll miss her on a physical level, but I know
that she will always be present and never too far away.

Annabelle de Baize-Granddaughter of Madeleine

On behalf of the younger members of our family I would like to say a few
words:
Brandon:
Meme you have loved us all your life and you have cared for us during the
good and the worst you will always be in my heart and you will never be
forgotten and everyone loves you lots.
Joshua:
Every time we see you, it makes our day. But, we couldn’t bear to see you
suffering in so much pain. It hurts. You are in a better place now where
nothing can hurt you anymore. We love you always.
Molly:
From the first day I met Meme, I could see that she was the most amazing
woman on the planet. There are so many good memories that I have and are
very sacred. The thing I will never forgot is that you didn’t get to eat my
lasagne as you had to go to hospital. Meme, you will be in my heart forever
and always. Rest in Peace. I love you.
Jaiden:
We cherished and loved you. You left us for a better place. We will greatly
miss you Meme. Rest in peace Meme. You will always be in my heart.

On behalf of the older grandchildren I would like to say:
Our Meme was a large influence in our lives. Growing up, we always had
strict guidelines that she was certain would turn us into the best people we
could be. We had a certain way to dress, eat at the dinner table, speak and
present ourselves when out in public. Meme was a classy woman with excellent manners, dinner etiquette and a fabulous fashion sense just to top off her character. With her gorgeous almost black hair and signature red lipstick and nail polish, you just couldn’t miss her coming. Each of us was taught everything she knows. And, if we didn’t listen, well, let’s just leave it as the wooden spoon was never a friend of ours.

Meme always had faith in God and that faith made her always see the best in
people. She would help anybody that needed her help and not hesitate. Her
generosity and kindness was passed through to many people, worldwide. She taught us that when you help somebody to never ask for anything in return and do it because you want to do it, not because of what you can get out of it.

Her attitude and speak is definitely something we can safely say we all
picked up. She was always the first one to tell us exactly how she feels and
what she liked or didn’t like. I remember one time when I once sat at the
dinner table, the tablecloth completely covered my legs. I had them up on
the chair crossed and to this day I still have no idea how she knew they
were like that. But since that day, I definitely knew better than do to that
around her.

She was full of love, energy and no matter what, she was always there for
her family. She was always proud of us and pushing us to become something
great when we grew up. She always encouraged our education and told us that there wasn’t anything we couldn’t do. Her family always came first. She was always cooking for us, always cleaning up after our mess even though she wanted to kill us, always being kind and gentle when she needed to be there for us and definitely not scared to teach us a lesson knowing we would be better people for it. She was always proud of everything we accomplished and she was never shy to show it.

She was the heart of our family. She is our hero. We are so thankful for
everything she did for us. She is somebody we all want to become. With her
in our life and in our hearts, we can achieve anything we set our minds to.
She is the wind beneath our wings. Our Meme has been there from the moment each of us was born , to this day and will forever be with us. We love you Meme, we will miss you and wait for the day we can all be reunited as the great family you built.

On behalf of Clancy Philippe for Madeleine (Read by Jennifer deBaize - Grandaughter of Madeleine & Clancy)

I first laid eyes on you some 37 years ago and was captured by your smile
and magnetic personality. That was love at first sight. Three years later,
we were married and that was the beginning of the best 34 years of my life.
The two of us became one. You always knew how I felt and I always knew how you felt. You spent the rest of your life totally dedicated to me and the
family. In return, I made sure that no harm ever came to you.

Five years ago, you were struck with breast cancer. We rallied together we
fought hard. You won that first battle and we went on a world tour, during
which time you blossomed and was radiant in happiness. These seven weeks
were the best time we had together, visiting relatives, friends and places
that you told me you had never been to.

Fate was to struck again and you were diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Again
we rallied and fought hard. We won, only to be struck again with secondary
breast cancer.

That was out last battle together. We fought hard and tough. But your body
was tired and gave up the fight. Your mind and spirit still urged you to
keep fighting, but you had no fight left in you. You had suffered enough
already.

I was helpless and could do nothing to help you. It hurt so bad when you
said to me in hospital: “Help me !” and I could do nothing. But you battled
on and lost the battle on the morning of 11th February. I have not only lost
my darling wife, but also my lifelong best friend.

Half of me is going away, but half of you is staying in me. The happy
memories live on and I am the luckiest man alive as you gave me the best 34
years of my life. Thank you for looking after me so well. I was never
wanting for anything. Farewell my Louloune and I know that from Paradise,
you will still be looking after me and your loved ones. Farewell and take
care until we meet again. Most importantly, I will always love you.

I wish to thank the family and friends who cared for Madeleine during these
difficult times. I wish to thank Dr Ian Haines and the Cabrini nursing staff
who took such great care of Madeleine. Also, a big thank you to the City of
Greater Dandenong for their understanding, assistance and help. Thank you all for being present today.

Patrick Morel-Close Friend of Madeleine

My dear friends, it is very comforting to see how the community has
assembled here today to celebrate the life of Maddy as tributes from here
and many countries keep flowing in.

The Press at home were very prompt in offering their respects to a special
Lady.

In spite of all the sadness that we feel, the family in particular, let’s
remind ourselves that this is no final curtain.

It is a celebration of the life of a much loved member of the community who
was so dynamic and contributed so much to the wellbeing of the Mauritian
Diaspora. Not only in Australia, Melbourne in particular but in many more
countries through the link of the dedicated website maintained by Clancy and
accessed by all Mauritians worldwide 24 hours a day permanently.

Accessed also by non-Mauritians who have been introduced to our delicacies by the recipes written or verified and endorsed by Maddy, always respecting the original concepts.

Maddy displayed an incredible resilience in the face of adversity and put on
the bravest face whilst enjoying life and the company of her legions of
friends in the community. My niece shared a table in the company of Boum and Maddy at a year-end party, and when I gave her the sad news, she did not think it possible. My niece did not know the circumstances and thought that Maddy was the life of the party.

After visiting Melbourne in the seventies and being captivated, the family
settled here in the early 80s. Soon the website was created to highlight the
marvels that delight our tastebuds. And the world started visiting, tasting
and sharing. Daily visits have grown from an early 1500 daily to 4500 on
average now. This Monday, 6363 clicked on the site. On the record too, these visitors came from 45 countries and more. That’s an example of the friends attracted to the delights that Maddy and Clancy disseminated for our
tastebuds.

Her activities although dominated by Mauritian Cuisine, included Writing
about Mauritian Cuisine in such high profile publications as the Lonely
Planet Travel Guide. Club Activities, Creating cancer awareness among friend and relatives via the Madeleine Philippe Cancer Foundation (Aus) Inc.

On Travel, wherever she went, she would always be discussing cooking
techniques with other people during her travels, adding more credits to her
experience.

Hobbies were essentially looking after Mr. Boum and the family, children,
grand children, daughters in law and unending groups of friends.

The website received many rewards and recognitions. Nowadays it stands
proudly as a world leader in its field and an essential connection for the
Mauritian Diaspora worldwide. Maddy’s name is a reference in itself.

Clancy will push forward her dream of publishing a book on genuine Mauritian Multicultural Cuisine in a class of its own. Her recipes will be forever present in people’s homes through the magic of the book and the internet. Her recipes and many more that have not been published yet will be
forthcoming. Clancy has made this a priority.

Five years ago unfortunately, illness raised its ugly head, she fought with
determination and courage. Maddy is leaving as a testament to others, the
Cancer Foundation bearing her name. It will keep going, fully dedicated to
helping and comforting others.

Whilst offering our condolences to Clancy and the family, it must be noted
that at this moment, Maddy is busy at work. All around her, including the
big bosses, up there, have big smiles lighting up their faces.

The great news is that the impossible is possible.

Up there, THE MENU IS CHANGING – FOR THE BETTER

BON APPÉTIT

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Madeleine Philippe Cancer Foundation (Aus) Inc

"So that we may help others and save lives".

Eulogies read at Madeleine's funeral mass held on 17 Feb. 2011 at Resurrection Catholic Church in Keysborough, Melbourne, Australia