Farewell for Joël Debroux on 3.5.2019, 13:00 hrs, Essling Sports Club, Sports Ground, approx. 100 persons
Music upon arrival (proposal: quietly in background, piano music 14:30 – 15:00 hrs)1. Song: Christina Stürmer – Weißt Du, wohin wir geh'n!1. Greeting and Opening
Dear Family, dear Friends, dear Mourners,
Memories hold what we never wanted to let go – we have come together here today to say farewell to Joël. We would also like to share memories which attach us to Joël.We have brought candles with us to show our bond to Joël. The candle also symbolizes that every human being is a light and his soul is given eternal life. In our own lives there are people who have a very special place in our hearts we can never forget and do not wish to forget. People who always remain safe in our hearts and in our memories – people who leave an impression on our lives.Joël too has left an impression on your lives in one way or another.
I would now like to invite you all to hold a minute’s silence. Look to your hearts to recall the wonderful moments spent with Joël so that you will remember them well.2. Minute of Silence
Silence (0:40)3. Personal Thoughts - Sissy
I would now like to read out the personal thoughts of Joël’s wife Sissy.I continually ask myself the same questions:
Why did this happen to you?
Why did it have to be you?
And me – all of us – straight to the heart
There are moments which suddenly, out of the blue and in broad daylight tear you apart, tear you from your normal routine, then nothing else counts, only your loved one! From one second to the next the world is a different place – then I saw you lying in bed in hospital and just could not grasp what was happening – the doctors explained that you had suffered a severe stroke, panic, sheer horror, terrific fear, but you are much too young for that!For fifteen days and some nights I sat at your beside with your mother Lydie, we urged you to fight and you did fight, you pulled through until your exhausted body had no strength left and I had to let you go.These were the most painful and darkest days, hours, minutes and seconds of my life. I just cannot believe that you are no longer alive, no longer there as always, never again. Why? Why you? Why now?
I just cannot understand it.That just can’t have been our life together, we had so many plans, so many dreams we wanted to fulfil together… But although I had to let you go, so much of you is still here…… our love for one another, our bond and the memories of a caring, honest, humorous, generous, faithful, selfless person who enjoyed life.
Memories of the 19 years we spent together, over 15 of which we were married.
We met on a holiday trip in the year 2000 and fell in love a few weeks later, we did not intend to do so, it just happened. We were not looking, but simply found each other. We became engaged in Greece one and a half years later and married in Korneuburg on 5.9.2003. This was certainly one of our happiest moments surrounded by our family and friends to celebrate this wonderful occasion!Our marriage was a very harmonious and happy one, there were no arguments, disputes or deceit. We were very fortunate to trust each other completely, to be able to speak openly, to say everything to each other and to have no secrets from one another. That is why I used the term “the most important person in my life” on the death announcement, anything less would not suffice.Work load permitting – we both had a strong commitment to our jobs – we enjoyed travelling, we greatly enjoyed the wonderful holidays we spent in faraway countries and loved planning new holidays and discovering new places. And if we were not able to travel, we would still our desire to travel by watching travel documentaries on TV.
We also enjoyed spending our time together, just the two of us – whether at home reading, watching TV or just sitting in the garden. It went without saying that housework was done together – no matter what job had to be done. Joël loved cooking too, referring to recipes but also being creative because he found it a way of relaxation. He always said “you poor thing, having to eat what I’ve cooked”, but it usually tasted delicious!I would also like to say that it is the melody of life which we are given on earth just for a certain time – the time between being born and passing away.
This melody repeats itself constantly and continually, we cannot escape from it, it always accompanies us. Joël’s melody of life was short, much too short, but it was a very special melody which will always linger on.Joël – there is one promise I make to you here and now – I will never forget you, I will always love you and you will be in my heart forever.Film 1 (the married couple Debroux) with music
Queen – You are the love of my life
approx. 2-3 minutes3. Personal Thoughts - FamilyJoël was born in Antwerp, Belgium on 08.10.1969. He grew up in a French speaking family in Brasschaat, Antwerp and had a younger sister Véronique. The then family of four always spent Sundays at their much loved grandparents Bonpapa & Mina, it was true family life, games were played, there was much laughter and parties were celebrated.After his parents Jean-Louis und Lydie were divorced and both remarried, Joël had some more brothers and sisters, Nadine und Karim in Egypt and Yvan and Magali in Belgium. When he was only 9 years old, Joël moved to Egypt and experienced a completely different culture and language. Due to family circumstances, Joël had to return to Belgium to live with his father when he was 13 and met his new family there. 13 is not an easy age and Joël had to get used to the Flemish language at school. For this reason he did not particularly enjoy school, but he was passionate about diving. At the age of 17 Joël was forced to move back to Egypt for family reasons. He did not finish school in Egypt, but spent 3 years working as a tourist guide for French-speaking tourists on cruises along the River Nile. Joël had very positive memories of his Egyptian step father Hesham.
It was in Egypt that Joël met his first wife, Sabine, an Austrian. He came to Austria with her in 1992 and was married to her for 8 years until they were divorced.Speech by his sister Magali:
My dearest and sweetest big brother Joël,I still can’t believe after three weeks that have past that It’s time to say goodbye to you. I will try to do my best and to be strong for these last words but please do forgive me if I break down and cry …I was a small child when you used to live with us so my memories of that time are unfortunately not as wide as I would wish them to be. My mother helped me a bit to rebuild them.Some of the things I do remember of course. Your love for Tom, our gigantic family cat that was more the size of a dog. You rescued him with Dad from a tree as the kitten didn’t dare to come down … The love for cats and animals has apparently always been in you…I remember you babysitting us …Your brother and I trying to get into your room while you had a girlfriend over and wouldn’t let us in your room, I remember how we would all live together in the apartment, the pyramid of Marlboro packs you build in your room, the little black and white television on which you would watch your favorite serie Shogun…. You eating a full spoon of mustard as a challenge, us going to the Ekerse Putten for your diving classes, me and my brother looking up to you … and the many visits at Mina and Bonpapa’s place before and after you returned to Egypt. You loved your grandparents so much…I will always remember your cuddles and your kisses …I will always remember you being my big brother.Some years passed and you became an adolescent living your own life as a guide in Egypt.The moment you moved back to Belgium with Sabine when you were around 20-21? and lived with us again for a while was wonderful to me … unfortunately It didn’t work out and you moved to Austria. At that time facebook or whats’app didn’t exist so except from the family visits and some phone calls we didn’t talk all too much at that time. But we did stay in contact over the years…It seems that the older we became the more we grew towards each other. Sometimes almost on a daily basis sending each other messages...sometimes leaving some time in between. Always asking me how the little princess was going, how you wanted to cuddle her, which holiday was going to be next, if we wanted to join … you asked me so many times… How much I regret not taking you up on that last one …How much I regret Liz didn’t get to know you better … How much I regret I didn’t visit you more often….I will miss your comments on my photos, I will miss you calling me Max, I will miss you asking me if I’m partying again, I will miss your voice, I will miss not being able to fall back on you,… The one I could be honest to, no matter what. I will miss every little piece of you.One of the last messages you wrote to me was :
“I do my best to make my life like bonpapa and Mina : correct, generous and understanding, they are my examples.”
Well Joël I promise I will try to do the same …So I guess these are my last words to you … for now.I love you and that place in my heart will be yours, forever.Last greetings from his mother (who cannot be here today):
Tu sera dans mon cœur pour toujours – JojoLast greetings from Nadine (who cannot be here today):
Malgré les années et la distance tu as toujours été mon grand frère et j’ai toujours été fière de toi, je t’aime mon JoJo, à bientôt2. Film 1 (Childhood and youth) with music
Renaud - Mistral Gagnant approx. 2-3 minutes3. Personal Thoughts – Friends and Work
By Paul:
When Joël came to Austria, he didn’t plan on staying for long, the globe trotter he was, and he expected that he would soon move on with his first wife, preferably to a country with a warmer climate than Austria and with direct access to the sea. At that time he could not know that he would stay much longer than planned but that his stay would at the same time be much too short. For that reason, he only slowly began to learn German. He learned his first German vocabulary in his first job in a warehouse and was quite appalled that the first words he learned were mostly swear words.
But he was very talented at languages – after all, he could speak five languages fluently – and he therefore had no difficulty in establishing himself without taking any special language courses. With the help of his ex-wife and friends (Paul, Hermann, Andi and many others) and by watching TV series at the time such as “Mundl” and “Kaisermühlenblues” he soon spoke excellent German. The travel business was the ideal job for him and Joël was responsible for French-speaking tourists for a long time – for the longest period for the travel agency Mondial.
.
Joël was always proud of not having a typical foreign accent but sounding almost like „a local“. His wife Sissy always called him “my living dictionary” because he could swap from one language to another without any problem.At work he was always particularly helpful. Whether a hotel room had to be found or computer problems solved, Joël always offered his assistance saying “we’ll get it done” and only if he could find no solution would he forward the problem to superiors. The kindness he showed meant that he always kept special friends from this job although he had left this line of business years ago.Speech by Hermann HahnlSpeech by Michael Grill – (text in brackets marked yellow are concealed)(In the year 2011 Joël decided to pursue a completely new course in his career and he changed to the insurance business. He worked for five years for the Allianz insurance company as an insurance specialist in field work. In 2016 he took over his own Allianz agency (on an independent basis), the Joël Debroux Allianz Agency. Joël was very proud of this achievement and worked hard to get there.
Joël was always committed to family members, friends and colleagues, he was always there for his loved ones, as mentor, as substitute Dad and comforter.He always helped unconditionally without expecting anything in return. He put others’ needs first. Joël had a positive attitude and even in difficult times he was always a great support to his family, friends and colleagues. His favourite sayings were “we’ll get it done” and„ “one hand washes the other and both hands wash the face“.(Joël was a sponsor of the Essling Sports Club and found many new friends and business partners there.
Joël was not able to take over his new office at the Esslinger Hauptstr. 78 – just a 5-minute walk away from here).For fate suddenly tore him from this life – Dear Joël we will always think of you lovingly, you will always have a special place in our hearts!Last greetings from our marriage witnesses Christa and Herbert (who cannot be here today):Thank you dear Joël for the many wonderful holidays we spent together. Even after almost 20 years we still love to speak of the holiday adventures we shared. We were so pleased to be your marriage witnesses.We could have done so many more things together but sadly things always turn out differently to what is planned.4. Film 3 (Contents ?) with music
Pink Floyd „Wish you were here“
approx. 4 minutes4. Positive Thoughts
If Joël could speak to us now, perhaps he would say,
Let go, let me go.
I have so many things to do and so much to see.Do not weep when you think of me,
Be grateful for the wonderful years.
I gave you my love and friendship,
You can barely imagine how happy you made me.But now it is time for me to travel alone,
You will be sad for some time
Because we will be apart for a while
Let the beautiful memories be of comfort to you. Life goes on, but I am not far away. When you need me, just call me and I will be there.
Even though you cannot see me or touch me,
I will just be there.And when you listen to your hearts, you will feel me.
You need not go to a particular place to visit me, I am not only there but everywhere.
I am in the wind that plays with your hair,
I am in the drop of water that shines at you
I am in the soil which draws your footprints
I am in the sunshine which warms you. I am the star which shines above you at night.
I am not far away – I am in your hearts
And on the other side of the path.6. End:
Dear Family and Friends
I would like to thank you so much for coming today, for your kind sympathy and participation.You are invited to attend the agape meal next door to end today’s farewell. With a consciously positive attitude, just as Joël would like us to remember him, as someone who loved being here on this sports ground.I wish you good day.
