Two hours of bursts of laughter despite the real sadness, with his closest friends. Only “Chien-chien” could, even After his death, create such a moment.
The world of “Chien-chien” was friends. His good nature and sense of humor allowed him to meet tons of people. In Roanne as everywhere he traveled. For The country , those closest to us agreed without hesitation to meet, this Monday, April 29, at Place des Promenades, at the “Entre Nous” bistro, run by Marie and Greg, where, like other bars in Roanne, he had his habits. Paul Brideau, former sports journalist for Roanne Country , Jean Burellier, his mustachioed partner, Joël Perrichon, Frédéric Thomasson, his friends from the ASR XV rugby alumni “Pierrot” Reynaud, Michel Aupol, Bernard Lacroix. Others could have been there, like “Fafa” Laroche, whom he called either “my little sister”, “my big sister” or even “mom”, held back by work.
If everyone lost a precious friend, almost a brother, the melancholy of this reunion with its sad motive quickly gave way to smiles and then bursts of laughter which punctuated this impromptu meeting lasting almost two hours. Tears of laughter after those of sorrow that flowed down the cheeks of his loved ones upon hearing the sudden news of his death and those, no doubt, that will not fail to appear when it is really time last goodbye*.
“Singles from fathers to sons”
After the usual coffees and teas at this early hour, it was quickly decided to move on to more serious things. “If he looks at us from up there, he must be thinking that we are making fun of him with our hot drinks,” he was told to the general public. So, the Saint-Vérand quickly arrived on the table. “It was his favorite white wine,” said Paul Brideau. For the red, it was Beaumes de Venise. » “Yes, well, in this matter, he was still quite eclectic,” said Bernard Lacroix mischievously. On the other hand, although Marcel liked to feast, he was nevertheless quite picky about the solid part of meals. ” Awful ! There was at least One dish out of two that he didn’t like. A real old boy. Or rather, as he said: “At home, we are single from fathers to sons”…”
The fastidious aspect of the character, less known to laymen, was also highlighted. “At his house, everything was in its place. A real maniac. He couldn’t stand disorder. » A quality for his former employers at “Terminus”, Joël Perrichon and Paul Brideau: “When we hired him, knowing his taste for partying, some people wondered what we were doing… Well, all the years that he was a waiter, he never drank a drink at work, he never missed a day and always opened on time. » Which did not prevent him from handling deadpan humor and the art of repartee. Paul Brideau again: “There were two TVs in the bar. One was connected to TNT and had a slight delay with the other. One day, a customer pointed this out to him. And “Chien-chien” replied, straight away: “Well of course, how do you expect me to turn them on at the same time?” The customer would have replied: “Ah yes, it’s true, I wouldn’t have thought of that”. »
Great moments
Aside from work, of course, it was time for fun. And the anecdotes flowed throughout the meeting of friends. “He had so many jokes that each of us has our favorite,” said Paul Brideau, before telling the one about the monkey who enters a bistro and asks for bananas…
During the Choir’s trips, some of which were epic, but also with the ASR XV rugby veterans, “Chien-chien” left behind countless anecdotes and laughs. “He endured more than practiced,” recalled Michel Aupol, who attended the Coutaret school in Faubourg Clermont with him during childhood, despite their five years apart. “He played basketball. He also refereed. But not in rugby. He accompanied us. He was even our caregiver. They were always great moments. »
Cultivated man although “only reading Olympic Midday and the TV program”, according to Jeannot Burellier, “Chien-chien” was also a music lover, an opera fan. Sometimes he sang mass – well arranged – on special occasions and at the request of friends, always.
“We knew him for the party and the good times, but he was also a lonely man,” his friends said. He died alone, in his armchair, at home. However, he will be more than surrounded for his “big departure” this Thursday. “Thus ends…, as he liked to say, the life of a “Dog-Dog”. See you at the hunter’s ball, in Mars”, always according to his regular expression. Unfortunately, we will no longer meet him at the ball, but the character will remain in the hearts of his friends and his legend will last for a long time in Roanne and the surrounding area.
Thursday May 2 at 11 a.m., a tribute will be paid to him at the crematorium of the new cemetery in Roanne.
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