In Loving Memory of Suzzanne Bouchard

Written By Isabelle Heidbreder

I met Suzzanne Bouchard at my first Alliance Française de St. Louis holiday party in 1998. A beautiful white-haired, green-eyed lady, she was the best ambassador the Alliance ever had.

With time, countless St. Louis-Lyon Sister Cities, Société and Alliance Françaises de St. Louis dinners, events, book-club meetings, birthdays, Easters, Thanksgivings and Christmases later, she became much more than a friend: Suzzanne became family to me.

A fervent advocate for the less fortunate, passionate social worker, care-giver extraordinaire to her parents, Aunt Joan and Lee, Suzzanne liked to pick up “strays”, human ones. “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses…”, she was always in. Always there for me and for many of you, I suspect.

My Suzzanne was fierce in Life, Love and Friendship.

Suzzanne lost her fourth battle with cancer on Friday May 15th; she was 81 years young.

Ce n’est qu’un au revoir Suzzanne, say “hello” to Lee for us!

Isabelle

Isabelle Heidbreder

Chevalier of the French Order of the “Palmes Académiques” and Consule Honoraire de France à Saint Louis, Isabelle was born and bred in Toulon (Provence). After studying law for two years at the Université of Toulon-La Garde, she “gave it all up for love” and moved to the U.S. in 1981.

After a diverse career across the country, she joined the Alliance Française de St. Louis in 1998 as a teacher/translator/lecturer/tour guide and became our Executive Director in 2009, a role in which she served until her retirement in 2026.

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