Annick Raymonde Marie Houze's Obituary
Annick Raymonde Marie Houze passed away on Tuesday, January 31, 2023. She was born
March 14, 1954, in Rosendael, now Dunkerque, France, the only daughter of Robert Henri
Cornil Houze and Renee Henriette Marie Weus. She was predeceased by her parents and a
brother, Joel Leonard Robert Houze.
As a young girl and teenager, she loved gymnastics, swimming, fishing, running on the beach
and riding her moped. She was always happiest when she was by the water.
She was an avid reader of all books, but especially enjoyed history, historical fiction and
mysteries. Living in Dunkerque, she became very interested and knowledgeable about the
history of WWII in France.
The entire course of her life changed in 1968, when she met missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Dunkerque. She was baptized a member of the church on May 10, 1969 in the Dunkerque pool by Elder Eric Slocombe who is now serving as the president of the Regina Saskatchewan Temple
She received her Brevet d’Etudes Professionelles in Secretarial Skills in 1972. Her first job was
working at a car dealership. From September 1975 to February 1977, she served a mission in
the France-Paris Mission, where she was companions with Connie Ogle (McKell) who became
her lifelong best friend and sister.
Annick followed her heart and immigrated to the United States on a student visa in December
1978. She attended Missouri State Teachers’ College in Kirksville, Missouri and studied English
for 6 months and then transferred to Utah Technical College (now UVU) in Orem, Utah. There
she studied General Education for one year, and received The Outstanding Student Award in
1980. She transferred to BYU in the fall of 1980 and graduated with a double major in
Humanities and French-Teaching in 1986.
Then, due to the generosity of Joan and Larry Lee, she studied and received a Master of
Library Science degree from BYU in 1988, continuing her lifelong love affair with books.
Upon graduation, she was hired by the BYU Library as a Cataloguer in April of 1988. She
continued as a faculty member there for 30 years until she retired in April 2018.
During her professional career at BYU, she co-authored three bio-bibliography books with
Russell Clements and Chris Ramsey: The Neo-Impressionists, The Women Impressionists and
La Rose Croix; and gave numerous presentations at National and International Conferences.
In 1990, she became very involved in doing French genealogical research, seeking out her own
family history, and was responsible for over 20,000 ordinances performed on behalf of her
ancestors.
Finally, after the required 10 years of United States residency and employment in the United
States, Annick became a United States citizen in May 2000.
Annick loved to travel! Her preferred destinations always included a beach; her favorite-Tahiti!
She was also adventurous! Her most daring adventures were skydiving and parasailing.
Annick is survived by her brother, Jean-Pierre Georges Andre Houze and her niece, Valerie
Marie Joelle Houze and a great-niece and two great-nephews.
Annick was a friendly, fun-loving person who liked to laugh and joke and made friends
everywhere she went all over the world. She wanted to especially mention and thank:
-Norma Gould and Julie Rorden for letting her play in their garden at their ‘Almosta Ranch’
-her dear friends, Johnny and Lucille Capunay and Jean-Luc Fourment, for making her laugh
as they played on the beaches of Southern California
-Her "amies francaises" Patricia Duvet, Gwenaelle Couillard, Bernadette Agez Quist, and Annie Marquise
-her many BYU Library colleagues, especially Kayla Willey, Carol Barksdale and Valerie Buck
-dear friends, Chris and Keli Erickson and their children
-her “American family” Robert and Connie McKell and their children and grandchildren
The family would like to thank the staff and CNAs at Summerfield and the nurses of ICare
Home Health and Hospice for their care and kindness.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, February, 11, 2023 at 11 am at the Sharon 3rd Ward
building, 700 East 445 South, Orem, Utah. A viewing will be held from 9:30-10:30 am prior to
the funeral service. Burial will be at the Spanish Fork City Cemetery
For those who were unable to attend, the funeral recording can be found here: https://youtu.be/nzPvKdZ2zv0
What’s your fondest memory of Annick?
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