Pierre Michele CEUTERICK

6 MAR 1923 - 28 AUG 2019

• BIRTH: 6 MAR 1923, Ghent, East Flanders, Belgium
• DEATH: 28 AUG 2019, South Bend, St Joseph, IN

• MARRIAGE: 25 SEP 1947, Ghent, East Flanders, Belgium

1.  Colette CEUTERICK
2.  Patricia CEUTERICK
3.  Michele CEUTERICK

INDEX

[N22345] Son of Leon & Valarie VanDenWyngaert Ceuterick of Ghent, Belgium

Pierre Michele Ceuterick
March 6, 1923 - August 28, 2019
SOUTH BEND, IN - Pierre Michele Ceuterick, 96 years young, left this earth on August 28, 2019 at Memorial Hospital after a long battle with complications after a surgery. Pierre was born March 6, 1923 in Ghent Belgium to Valarie VanDenWyngaert and Leon Ceuterick. He was the youngest of seven children: Henri, Paul, Edward, Jean, Robert, and Marie Loiuse. Pierre leaves behind his three devoted daughters, Patricia Ceuterick of Austin, Texas, Michele Ceuterick-Feehan of South Bend, Indiana, and Colette Ceuterick of South Bend, Indiana. He also leaves his son-in-law, Michele's husband, Thomas Feehan of South Bend, Indiana; granddaughters, Briana Feehan of Los Angeles, California and Colette Feehan of Bloomington, Indiana; and his niece, Karina Ceuterick of Ft. Worth, Texas. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, September 14, 2019 at 11:00 AM at Little Flower Catholic Church, 54191 Ironwood Road, South Bend, Indiana 46635. A beautiful and joyful Celebration of Life will take place on October 19, 2019 at 4:00 PM in the clubhouse at Woodbridge Village Condominiums, 18156 Stoneridge off of Ironwood. Please prepare a memory or story; one of us can read it for you if you prefer. Pierre graduated as a Pharmacist in Ghent Belgium; the war would have other ideas for him and he spent two years as a political prisoner in a German concentration camp. After the war he met Jeannot Caroline Florin at a garden party where Steffan Grappeli and Django Reinhart were playing; the four became lifelong friends. He and Jeannot soon married on September 25, 1947 and were married 64 years until her death on January 6, 2011. They relocated to the United States in Mishawaka, Indiana. Pierre worked as a chemist at Ball Band, (eventually being renamed Uniroyal), from 8 am to 5pm and at St. Joseph Hospital, Mishawaka initially in the pharmacy and eventually as an Orthopedic Tech in the Emergency Room from 6pm to 11:30 pm; he did this for 54 years. He called his days at the hospital the happiest of his life; Daddy loved his job and loved helping people. Pierre was a man whose heart was overflowing; never one to toot his own horn, his family had to find out about his numerous acts of kindness from others; those stories told over the course of a lifetime became precious gifts to his family. Pierre was a devoted husband and father; his daughters will tell you they grew up with the most beautiful of memories. When his children became teens he worked all holidays for the young nurses who had little ones. He was always quick to send a hand-drawn personalized card to anyone who needed a smile, a thank you, a pep talk, a greeting. He was so well known for his cards that many people keep every Pierre card. He was extremely grateful for any act of kindness and loved meeting new friends, of which he had in abundance. He loved sitting on his deck, wine and cookies ready for any visitor and biscuits for the dogs. Jazz, oh how he loved jazz; his idea of a perfect night was meeting friends of all ages to listen to jazz in the parks or his favorite jazz bistro, Merrimans. He had perfect pitch and played jazz drums as a young man. He always said he was a simple man, and he was; however, he simply loved deeper and more beautifully than most people and to be loved by him, well I don't believe there are words to express what a precious, lovely gift that was.
Published in South Bend Tribune on Sept. 13, 2019