Sunday, March 3, 2024
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Octave Samuel, my grand father was a strong, kind , respectful, friendly, hard working man. He was tough and macho, but had a very soft side to him. He cared and loved everyone that came his way. He was determined to create a better future for himself and family. Sometimes when we met up, he used to share his stories and experiences with me. Like how he used to be the man of the home because his father was always at work and he was left with all the chores around the home including raising the farm animals. He walked many miles in one day, everyday relocating his cattle to different feeding grounds on the island of Saint Lucia. As he came into adulthood, he traveled from island to island in search of work. At one point, he worked for a company in Guyana in South America as a gold miner and as a cook on a military installation in Saint George, Antigua and Barbuda during the Vietnam War. Octave's life wasn't always easy and nothing was handed to him for free. He always knew to fight for what he wanted in life. He told me there was a time in Guyana where him and his crew were stranded in the middle of nowhere in the jungle for days while awaiting rescue. Their food supply had ran short and the crew was starving. He remembered hiding a piece of bread in his pant pocket and nibbling on it every night quietly while everyone else was asleep, fearing that if they knew about the bread in his pocket, would trigger a fight and potentially bring harm to himself. Along his journies from island to island, he would sometimes find himself stranded due to a lack of fundings, where he was left to walk, swim and cross many vast bodies of water in order to reach his final destination. At times he had to stop in villages or on the side of the streets to ask folks for a couple cents to be able to use a phone booth to make contact with his loved ones he had left in the rear. During his travelings, he partnered and fell in love with a very beautiful woman who went by the name of Undine Roberts. Miss Undine Roberts then made some contacts, linked him up with some of her friends and family who had for many years already resided in Texas. From there Octave migrated from the Caribbean, up the Florida Panhandle and made his way to Texas where he was welcomed by Miss Undine Roberts's friends and family. They helped him find a job, he saved money, stabilized himself, sent for Miss Undine Roberts and all of his children to reside with him in Laporte Texas. He spent his life working offshore on oil rigs, the Gulf Of Mexico and as far as Africa. Over the he years opened up his home and welcomed many who wished to vacation, visit or to folks that just needed shelter to get back on their feet in struggling times. He also helped them find work with the companies he had worked for. During his off time from work, he woke up every morning at 5 am to make breakfast for everyone in the home. He was a simple man. He enjoyed watching sports basketball, football, boxing, fishing hanging out with his friends and snacking on a bowl of Blue Bell Pecan ice cream every night prior to bedtime. He was ambitious and dedicated to the well-being of his family and friends. If was not for his bravery and sacrifices that he had made, I would not be here today. Long live Octave Samuel!
