22 COURIER LIFE, APRIL 2-8, 2021
Mother of
Brooklyn Dems
chief dies
Marie Andrée Bichotte Bichotte. Joel Jean-Pierre
BY NELSON A. KING
Marie Andrée Bichotte,
the Haitian-born
mother of Brooklyn Assemblymember
Rodneyse
Bichotte Hermelyn,
chair of the Brooklyn
Democratic Party, died
on March 19, her daughter
said. She was 82.
Bichotte Hermelyn
said “family and loved
ones were by her side
when she passed away.”
“A Haitian immigrant
and fi rst generation
American, Bichotte was
a hardworking, caring
and loving person who devoted
her life to God,” said
Bichotte Hermelyn, who
was born in Brooklyn.
“She was a union
worker and a delegate
for over 25 years with
the Hotel Trade Council,
which afforded her and
her family the opportunity
to achieve the American
Dream,” she added.
“Bichotte, a prayer warrior,
was a matriarch not
only to her family, but
to many in the United
States, Haiti and beyond,
who looked up to her as a
mentor, trailblazer and
community leader.”
Bichotte Hermelyn said
her mother, who was born
on Nov. 17, 1938, had two
other children — Wagner
and Marcelle Bichotte.
“Although Bichotte
loved fl owers, there are
also a few organizations
that were an important
part of her life,” said Bichotte
Hermelyn.
She said charitable
donations can be made
to Haitian Women for
Haitian Refugees, “an organization
that embodies
Bichotte’s mission
of helping immigrants,
women and children”;
the American Heart Association,
“the nation’s
oldest and largest voluntary
organization dedicated
to fi ghting heart
disease and stroke”; and
the Hotel Trade Council
Benefi t Fund, “which
benefi ts many immigrant
hotel workers like
Bichotte, and all other
employees in the hotel
industry during an especially
trying time.”
A wake is expected
to be held on Good Friday,
April 2, at Andrew
Torregrossa & Sons Funeral
Homes from 4-9
pm. The funeral will take
place the next day, at the
same funeral home, from
9-10:30 am. Bichotte’s
body will be interred on
Sunday, April 3 at Canarsie
Cemetery at 11:30 am.
Bichotte Hermelyn
said her mother “will
be dearly missed but not
forgotten.
“While we mourn her
death, we also celebrate
her life,” she said.
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