Menthoul Nelson was born on February 7, 1939, in Baliverne, in the Sud department of Haiti. He was the son of Erameau Nelson and Jeudinette Austin, and he grew up alongside his brother, Demelva, and his sisters, Melola, Mona, Saintrose, and Amala.
As a boy, Menthoul attended primary school with the Brothers of the Sacred Heart (Frères du Sacré-Cœur). He continued his studies at the Madame Allen Clerier school in Jérémie, where he built the discipline and love of learning that would guide him all his life.
As a young man, Menthoul answered the call to serve his country. For eight years he served in the military at the National Palace, carrying out his duties with honor and dedication. He then went into business for himself and spent the next eight years as a businessman, using his own hard work to provide for those he loved.
On May 24, 1969, Menthoul married the love of his life, Rosette Passe. Together they shared 57 years of marriage, a partnership built on faith, patience, and devotion. God blessed their union with six children: Josette, Desly, Rolin, Dana, Esteve, and Gaddi. His family was his greatest pride and his greatest joy.
Menthoul was never afraid of hard work or of starting over to build a better future for his family. He traveled to Nassau, in the Bahamas, where he worked in construction for six months, and then to Miami, where he worked in food service for six months. He went on to settle in New Jersey, where for sixteen years he worked in several roles in the consumer products industry and later managed a convenience store.
He then made Orlando his home, where he spent the next thirty-eight years. He worked in hospitality at Marriott and Dolphin hotels, where he gained valuable knowledge of dry cleaning. That experience enabled him to open his own business, Alpha Cleaners. Later, he turned to procurement and shipping services to his beloved island, Haiti. Wherever he worked, he was known for his reliability, his perseverance, and his steady character.
Above all, Menthoul was a man devoted to Christ. In July 1988, as he began his new life in Orlando, he publicly gave his life to the Lord and was baptized at the First Haitian Baptist Church of Orlando. His faith was the foundation of his life, his marriage, and his home. He lived what he believed, and he passed that faith on to his children and grandchildren as his most precious inheritance.
On Sunday, October 4, 2026, at 1:00 p.m., Menthoul Nelson went home to be with the Lord at Orlando Regional Medical Center, at the age of 87.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Erameau Nelson and Jeudinette Austin; his brother, Demelva; his sisters, Melola and Amala; and his beloved daughter, Dana.
He leaves to cherish his memory his beloved wife of 57 years, Rosette; his five surviving children, Josette, Desly, Rolin, Esteve, and Gaddi; his daughters-in-law, Renelle, Micheline, and Diane; his nineteen grandchildren, Johanda Laloi, Reegy, Daneekah, Myles, Mya, Zultan, Johanda Nelson, Marcus, Olivia, Theodore, Alexzandra, Terence, Swan, Skye, Nyla, Anya, Kayla, Zahir, and Samia; his five great-grandchildren, Lydia, Jaice, Andre Wilson, Nicolas, and Giovanni Laloi; his sisters, Mona and Saintrose; his best friends since his New Jersey days, Sergo and Polo; his church family at the First Haitian Baptist Church of Orlando; and many other relatives and friends whose lives he touched.
Though we grieve his passing, we take comfort in knowing that he has finished his race and kept the faith. Rest in peace, Papa. Your love, your sacrifice, and your faith will live on in all of us.