the essential
Françoise Gauthier had not heard from the father of her daughter since… 1976. She ended up finding his trace this year in Albi. This man died alone in 1997. She is looking for neighbors, employers or friends to pay tribute to him.
A bottle in the sea. For 48 years, Françoise Gauthier has been desperately searching for any trace of Marcel Goffaux, her childhood sweetheart and the father of her daughter. This man left one day in June 1976 and never heard from her. “At the time, we lived in Paris in the 6th arrondissement,” explains this retiree who now lives in Sarthe. “We dated for two years and I became pregnant. I was a minor, I was 15 and he 20 years. It was another life, it was complicated.”
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In March 1976, Françoise gave birth to a little girl. Three months later, Marcel disappears, leaving behind an unkept promise: I will find you again. “I’ve been waiting for it for 48 years,” replies the Sarthoise. At the time, Marcel Goffaux was casting lead soldiers, which he painted and then sold at the Parisian flea market. “It was a bit of a bohemian life,” adds Françoise. “I also know that he wanted to hide to avoid military service… He didn’t want to bother with a 15-year-old girl and a baby… I can understand.”
She learned of his death this year
The years pass and the hope of finding her love diminishes… Françoise then rebuilds her life, marries another man with whom she will have two children. “My daughter knew it wasn’t her father but we were a united family. She never looked, she also knew it was a bit complicated.” Up to 10 years ago. Françoise, now a widow, restarts the research.
It was only this year that Françoise learned a shocking truth: Marcel died, alone, on August 27, 1997 in Albi. “I approached the town hall and they told me that he had been cremated at the city’s expense because his body had not been claimed.” His anonymous ashes rest for eternity in the ossuary of the Caussels cemetery, a silent conclusion to a life marked by wandering.
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For Françoise, it is impossible to have the slightest information: no report or declaration to the police, no trace in the newspapers… She only has a few meager clues: a name, a portrait that she drew in charcoal , and an old address, avenue Frédéric-Mistral, which has now disappeared.
“A duty to remember deep within me”
“I ended up getting the death certificate but I don’t know how Marcel died,” explains the retiree. “Just that he was alone and that it was neighbors who ended up alerting the police. I contacted to Tarn Habitat, the social landlord who promised me to delve into the archives to find information about him. But for the moment, nothing.
Today, Françoise is launching a desperate appeal: to find someone, a neighbor, a friend or an employer who knew Marcel Goffaux. “I can’t think of anyone disappearing without leaving a trace in Albi,” she emphasizes. “What happened to her personal belongings? I can’t leave the situation as such. It’s not possible. There has a duty of memory deep within me. For my daughter, for Marcel.”
