Obituary of Jacques Vainquer

Our beloved Jacques “Jakito” Vainqueur, aged 57, passed away on November 4th, 2020, at University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center in Glen Burnie, MD. He was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti to Marie Terzilia Vainqueur and Holland Vainqueur on August 25, 1963.

In Haiti, Jacques attended Collège Canapé-Vert and Collège Le Normalien in Port-au-Prince. In 1982, Jacques traveled to the United States of America where he joined his family in the Washington metropolitan area. During this time, he started working at the Embassy of Haiti in Washington, D.C., where he dedicated his time assisting other members of the Haitian community obtain their Permanent Residence in the U.S. This was a dream job for him. After his time at the embassy, Jacques pursued his professional driving career, which lasted almost 20 years.

In 1985, Jacques became a part of Theatre Lakay, where he stayed connected to his Haitian culture through performance of traditional Haitian folklore dance and dialogue. He had a great love for cooking, music, sports such as: American football, soccer and basketball. Jacques was a huge fan of Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. He was an amazing cook and loved preparing and cooking for his family and close friends. Jacques truly enjoyed partaking at family functions such as cookouts and graduations. Outside of cooking, he had a passion for music. He always enjoyed playing, listening, and dancing to Haitian Konpa. He was a great dancer. His charismatic and lively spirit is what his family and close friends enjoyed the most about him. Jacques followed in the Catholic faith which greatly influenced his knowledge of the word of God as an adult.

Jacques is survived by his mother, Marie Terzilia Vainqueur, his five children: Kelen, Sandra, Jovan, MaryAnn, and Isabelle; His four grandchildren: Adrien, Gabriel, Afiyah, and Naeem;, and his six siblings: Bruno, Alex, Josette, Gary, Chantal, and Garion. Lastly, his extended family and dear friends will also forever remember him.

On behalf of the Vainqueur Family, we would like to thank everyone who has shared their prayers, love, support, compassion, and condolences for our loving Jacques “Jakito” Vainqueur. May his spirit ascend, remain lifted, and live on in eternal life.