Camille Francoise Garnier

Camille Françoise Garnier, the youngest child of Camille Chauvin and Camille Janvier, died on April 15th at her residence in the Elm Heights neighborhood. She was born on August 7, 1940 in Le Mans, France and lived through the bombing of that industrial city during World War II. Both her parents, her brother, Bernard Chauvin, preceded her in death. Her husband, her son, two sisters, three nephews, one niece, and two great nephews and two great nieces survive her. Camille moved to Bloomington with her new husband in 1969, one month after their wedding. She had transferred from the Ph.D. program in French at UCLA to the French Department at Indiana University where she became a teaching assistant. She received her PhD. In 1978 with a dissertation written under the guidance of Professor Diana Carr, an eminent 18th Century specialist. She taught part-time at St. Mary-of-the-Woods in Terre Haute for seven years and then joined the Humanities Division at Indiana University Southeast in 1996. She quickly developed a reputation as a highly effective teacher who was committed to the intellectual and personal development of her students, many of whom first generation college students. She was responsible for sending a large number of students, many of whom had never imagined that such a possibility existed, to abroad programs. That work included finding a scholarship to finance the opportunity. She was raised in a very poor family and was convinced that a good education could transform the lives of students whatever their major might be. She received a campus wide teaching award in 1998. Her research interest turned to French culture and she published several articles on contemporary aspects of that culture. For example, she tried to explain why Halloween celebration had become popular in France. She enjoyed the intellectual stimulation her colleagues in the Humanities Division (in English, and Philosophy, in particular) provided. Camille was an avid reader. She loved contemporary French, Latin American and English literatures, but her interests included several other art forms: contemporary dance (the last performance she was able to attend only a few weeks ago in Bloomington was that of the Alvin Ailey Dance Company), classical music, the cinema, Buddhist philosophy (especially the writings of the Dalai Lama), and the fine arts. She and her husband visited many museums in this country and in Europe, and she collected a large number of art books. She practiced yoga for many years and became an ardent and early environmentalist when such a practice was not yet popular. She insisted on recycling and, better yet, on consuming prudently. She repaired clothing, re-used gift paper and made sure that the thermostat was lowered every night. She swam regularly until her shoulder made that sport impossible and she continued to walk to the library, and to Mother Hubbard Cupboard where she volunteered after her retirement. In order to spend time with her family and life-long friends, she visited France every year. She brought her mother, to whom she was very devoted, to Bloomington several times so she could rest after a difficult life devoted to her four children. Signs of dementia appeared several years ago and the manifestations of that disease became more and more evident. She became aphasic and her balance caused frequent falls. Throughout this period, she remained stoic and cheerful. She smiled to the people who looked after her until a very few days before her passing. There will be a gathering of family and friends on Saturday April 20 at 10 AM, followed by a brief celebration of Camille’s life at Allen Funeral Home, 4155 S Old State Rd 37, Bloomington, IN 47401. A green burial will immediately follow at White Oak Cemetery, 1200 W 7th St, Bloomington. Yo are invited to share a memory or leave an online condolence to the family at www.allencares.com.

Tributes

Camille Francoise Garnier

August 7, 1940 - April 15, 2019