Obituary of Elmira Fleurant

Elmira Fleurant, affectionately known as Toto, was born on March 18, 1933 in a small town called Pilate, which is in the Plaisance division of Haiti. While resources were limited in her early childhood, Elmira had the innate ability to make the most of the resources that were made available to her. She used that ability to start her own business as a vendor within the town. She left school at a young age to pursue this career full time and support her family as best she could. With more time and experience as a vendor, she would accumulate enough to start a small boutique in Pilate that offered a wide array of goods for purchase. The boutique that Elmira created still exists in Pilate today, almost 60+ years later. Perhaps her greatest strength was her empathy for her community. For what Elmira lacked in physical height, being only 4'6', she made up for with tremendous kindness and compassion to the people around her. She would offer clothes on her back if it meant that life would be made easier as a result. Her small height would earn her the nickname of "Toto" within the town. For the 70+ years that she lived in Pilate, Toto was loved and revered by anyone who got the chance to meet her. At the age of 73, she moved to the United States to live with her oldest daughter Yolette and son-in-law Pierre to help support them as they raised her two young boys. Her presence made their lives more enjoyable and fulfilling. Elmira would take multiple trips back to Haiti and visit Pilate, where she would be swarmed by floods of people who wanted to see their beloved Toto. While Elmira will be missed, her legacy will live on through her great-grandchild, her 8 grandchildren and her 4 children - Yolette Damas, Johnny Fleurant, Rose Margaret Fleurant and Evans Fleurant.