http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?topic=465752.0a very moving tribute by Antoine's good friend Dan.
The best way that I can describe my friend Antoine is as a friend that would stick by in any weather; he is the type of friend that would stand in a storm, with rain pouring down on his head, holding an umbrella, calmly and carefully, to make sure that my own head did not get wet.
He would ride through a blizzard, to pick me up, if my car had driven through a ditch; in fact, Antoine did do this for me on more than one occasion. Antoine was much more to me than a friend, he was someone that I would consider my family. When times got tough, and troubles hailed all around, the first person I could rely on to be there was Antoine.
Throughout life there are friends that would come and go, but Antoine was always there. It was almost as if Antoine had a sixth sense about me. Sometimes I would be sitting in the middle of the night, feeling blue, solitary and alone, and the next morning I would wake up and find an email from Antoine, asking me how I was feeling. That is just the type of connection that Antoine had to me.
Antoine and I spent over 10 years together, having the kind of friendship that most people only dream of. We went through financial gains and losses together, enjoyed the births of our children together, and the weddings of our children. Antoine was a wonderful person, the first to contribute a kind word of thanks, or word of wisdom when one was called for. He wasn’t the type of person to call attention to himself, unless he felt it would help alleviate tension in a room where tension or stress was building.
He also had a remarkable sense of humor, and quick wit, which I found refreshing, as my own sense of humor is somewhat dulled.
I met Antoine in college, while studying statistics of all things. It isn’t they type of subject one might expect to find a fellow with a sense of humor. Yet Antoine was full of surprises. Antoine and I paired up to start a non-profit together shortly after graduating, and have been working together since, providing community outreach programs for agencies during the daytime, and spending our free time causing trouble whenever we can.
Antoine will be sorely missed by all of us who loved him, and appreciated his commitment and dedication to giving time, devotion, and a sincere appreciation for people regardless of how long he knew them. He was a genuine person that gave not because he had to, but because he wanted to. Thank you Antoine, for being such a good person, with an abundance of love and generosity.
