16757: (Hermantin)Maimi-Herald-Vilius Vilsaint: Haitian migrant had 20 children (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Posted on Sun, Sep. 14, 2003



Vilius Vilsaint: Haitian migrant had 20 children

By MICHAEL A.W. OTTEY
mottey@herald.com

Vilius Vilsaint doesn't spend much time thinking about American foreign
policy.

But the 108-year-old retired vegetable farmer from Port-de-Paix, Haiti,
would like to see one change. He hopes to see the day when Haitian boat
people are treated no differently from their Cuban counterparts bound for
the United States.

''Everyone on this planet is a child of God,'' said the father of 20. The
government's policy ``favors Cubans, not Haitians.''

Now living with a daughter in South Florida, he knows that Haitians aren't
always viewed in a favorable light.

''We are the hardest workers,'' he said. ``We love our families, and we take
the worst jobs to support our families.''

That's about the extent of politics and policy that Vilsaint cares to
discuss.

He would much rather spend his time -- any time -- talking about God. His
love for God -- and the herbal bush tea he drank in Haiti -- are the secret
to his longevity, he said.

''Live according to the Bible,'' he advised. ``Love God and serve God.''

Vilsaint, who is partially blind and walks with a cane, can no longer see
much around him. His world is his daughter's home in the Lauderdale Manors
section of Northwest Fort Lauderdale. His life mirrors the experience of
many South Florida immigrants. He does not speak English, but it is of
little concern. Almost everyone around him speaks Creole.

Vilsaint married Anastasie Telisma, with whom he produced 10 children during
their 25-year marriage. She died at 53.

In 1949, he remarried. Merceila Azar was the bride.

Azar and Vilsaint produced 10 more children. Azar died six years ago in
Haiti, at 71.

Vilsaint was 75 when he fathered his 20th child.

Four of the children he had with his first wife also have died. Today, 16
children remain, seven in South Florida and nine in Haiti. Vilsaint has
nearly 200 grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

Vilsaint settled permanently in Fort Lauderdale in 1998. Although he lives
with one of his 10 daughters, he takes care of himself as much as possible.

It's in God's hands, he says, whether he lives as long as his father, who
died at 110. He has already lived longer than his mother, who died at 100.

He still goes on morning walks in the neighborhood. He also enjoys listening
to the radio. And although he is a deeply religious Baptist -- he said he
has memorized the Bible -- Vilsaint has had to give up his church attendance
because of his health.

Life has been long but by no means easy for Vilsaint. In Haiti, he reared
his large family on $500 a year. Still, if he were able to travel, he would
like to see his homeland again.

And his secret wish?

''To be an evangelist,'' he said. ``To spread God's word.''

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