Born: January 17, 1920
Died: June 12, 2012
Married: Suzanne G. (Bouffon) Joyeuse
Children: Remi, Marc
Dr. Rene Joyeuse, born René Veuve, was a Swiss veteran of World War II who parachuted into Nazi-occupied France prior to D-Day to gather crucial intelligence about German military installations, supply depots and troop movements. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, presented by Gen. Dwight David Eisenhower, and the the Legion D'Honneur-Chevalier, France's highest military honor. He later served in French Indochina as a Commando.
He later studied medicine in Paris, where he met Suzanne, a nurse. They married in Washington DC and lived in the US throughout their 57-year marriage. He became a noted surgeon who worked on the first biological heart valve replacement.
The family moved to Saranac Lake in 1996, where he worked for the state correctional department.
He is remembered with a Saranac Lake Walk of Fame plaque on the Veterans Memorial Association building on Broadway.
Sources:
- Adirondack Daily Enterprise, November 30, 2012, "Local World War II hero will be buried at Arlington"
- Adirondack Daily Enterprise, August 15, 2012, "A quiet American hero, Dr. Rene Joyeuse: born Jan 17, 1920, died June 12, 2012
