Napoléon Gréaux takes his leave

In Flamands, his jovial, knowing smile, his eternal benevolence and, very often, his witty remarks will no longer brighten the day of local residents. Boulon" passed away on Wednesday, January 15. Napoléon Gréaux, one of the island's most emblematic figures, bowed out at the age of 88. "With modesty and dignity, with a serene face and the awareness of having accomplished your mission on Earth, to bring a little happiness to others", as his loved ones said at the religious ceremony his loved ones at the religious ceremony held yesterday, Wednesday January 22, at Notre-Dame de l'Assomption church in Gustavia. Napoléon Gréaux, like "Djo" Félix who died on December 23 at the age of 92, was a Saint-Barthélemy character. One of those who carried nearly a century of history. His death is not only a loss for his family and loved ones, but also for the island itself.

A childhood tested by the island's harshness
Napoléon Gréaux was born on January 11, 1937. He was the sixth child in a family of twelve. He spent his childhood on an island that bore no resemblance to what it is today. "In those days, life was ungrateful and hard on our little rock lost in the middle of the Atlantic," his children recalled at the funeral ceremony. In those bygone days, children naturally made their daily contribution to household chores. From an early age.
While his brothers soon embarked on schooners bound for Guadeloupe to sell the salted fish caught by their fathers, when they weren't working, they had their own jobs.While his brothers soon embarked on schooners bound for Guadeloupe to sell the salted fish caught by their fathers, when they weren't working on the island's few building sites, young "Boulon" assisted his parents in the small store adjoining the bakery set up by his father in Flamands. From dawn, he worked alongside his uncle Antoine, nicknamed Anquêne, who helped his father with both the kneading trough and the wood-fired oven. Napoléon and his sisters, Lucina and Solange, had already collected the wood on the hillside. A daily routine of effort, commitment, perseverance and patience. And, as you might imagine, it's all enhanced by a few fraternal laughs as the family rallies around the patriarch. This is how "Boulon" spent his childhood.
Later, the wear and tear of life and the hardships imposed by Saint-Barthélemy forced his father to put an end to his business and hand over to Napoléon.

Intelligence at heart
From then on, "Boulon" was busy making the daily bread for Flamands. But he also added a grocery store, which he named "Sainte-Hélène", in reference to the island on which Emperor Napoleon I died in exile in 1821. In this neighborhood grocery store, Napoléon Gréaux welcomed customers every day for many years. "Those who came across you on a daily basis were able to measure your greatness of soul, your intelligence of heart, your spontaneity in proposing a solution that preserved the dignity of your modest neighbours.served the dignity of your modest customers", he recounted with emotion during the funeral ceremony. Napoléon Gréaux may have left a lasting legacy on the island of Saint-Barthélemy and in the Flamands district, but he also and above all left behind a family.

On December 29, 1979, he married Rolande, and from their union Honoré, Virginie and Jean-René were born. They were followed by grandchildren Hugo, Clémentine, Alix, Noémie and Tiago. A family who will keep alive the memory of the man who was the smile of Flemings and who takes with him a part of the history of the neighborhood and the island of Saint-Barthélemy.