Condolence: It has been almost a year since my father passed away. From all messages, demonstrations of grace and honor and acts of kindness, my father was well loved worldwide. I am very proud of that. All of you are truly blessed for your compassion that you have shown my family during this time of passing. On behalf of the LaManque Family. I thank all of you and I will never forget you.

Bless you.

Jacques-Paul LaManque

Condolence: I am so, so sorry to hear of Bobby's passing. He was a very special man who loved his "Rory" and his family -- never went without speaking of all of you. Rest in peace, old friend. Hope to meet up again in the great big "playground" in the sky!

Condolence: Eulogy for mass for the repose of the soul of Robert Lamanque on 19 April 2016 presented by Jovita Werner

Uncle Bob served and loved God.

He served and loved his family.

And, he served and loved his country.

Indeed, he was a true patriot.

All of us in this room are so very fortunate to have known him… To have had our spirits lift when he walked into a room.

The other day, I spent some time thinking about why. Why do I almost involuntarily smile and feel joy when Uncle Bob walks into a room?

I came up with a list. The list includes the following truths:

He was a grateful man. He was thankful for his wife, children and the community of families in his life.

He was a kind, compassionate and gracious man.

Of course we all smiled because he was a very handsome man with an infectious smile and gorgeous, kind eyes.

And, probably most important to all of us was his ability to make us laugh. His jokes have literally been repeated over two decades.

Abby and Roddy were lucky enough to have grown up knowing Uncle Bob.

Abby told me the other day that it was Uncle Bob who taught her how to multiply and that her “eights” looked like zeroes with a funny looking hat.

Roddy remembers many meals and conversations. And, that he was, “The man who smiled.”

Beyond the jokes and behind those twinkling eyes was also a wise man who spoke out of love or didn’t speak at all.

I’m going to miss hugging our beloved Uncle Bob and kissing his handsome face.

Auntie Rorie, Tracy, Trista and Jacques Paul, on behalf of my family, I want to express a deep gratitude:

Thank you.

Thank you for sharing your husband… your father… with us.

Our lives were enriched by this great, loving man and we will miss him terribly.

# # # #

Condolence: Eulogy at the Mass for the repose of the soul of Robert W. Lamanque April 19, 2016 presented by his daughters Karen and Trista and his grandson DJ

“Le Jongleur de Notre Dame”
DJ: “Once there was a very talented juggler named Barnabe who had tired of wandering up and down the roads of France and decided that it would be better if he were to dedicate his life to God, as a monk. He entered the monastery with which he was familiar and quite happy. Now, it was the custom of the monastery to do things in honor of the Blessed Mother. One monk would write poetry, another would sculpt, another would paint, and so on. The Juggler could do nothing like this and became quite despondent. Then suddenly he was happy again. Soon the Prior began to notice that Barnabe would disappear every day for about an hour. He wondered what the Juggler was doing and followed him. The Juggler went into the chapel and proceeded to do all of his juggling tricks in front of the statue of Our Lady and before the horrified eyes of the Prior. He ran and got the Abbot to see the sacrilege that was being committed in the chapel. But when they both started up the aisle to stop the Juggler they saw the statue come to life and Our Lady wipe the sweat off the brow of the Juggler.”
KAREN: The Juggler Legend is the story behind the nickname for students of my father’s alma matre Notre Dame High School in Utica, NY. The moral the school’s founders wished to impress upon its attendees is that, “if you do the best you can, God will be pleased”. There is little wonder why my father sought to attend Notre Dame. Except for our Father in heaven and the intercession of Our Lady, it was the impossible dream for a child that grew up in an orphanage and foster home. The Juggler Legend and its moral set the tone for his life as my father lived to please God by doing the best he could.
TRISTA: Uncle Bob, Cousin Robert, Robert, Bobby, Grandpa, Dad, the name by which you call my dad has a common thread. These names are a calling to his faith and an offering in return to the best of who he is. Friends of my father, you are his piano and forte. Sisters, Auntie Gigi, Auntie Nena, you are his rhyme. Cousins, nieces and nephews you are his rhythm. DJ, Vincent, RayRay, and Rory, you are his prose. Karen, Jacques-Paul, and myself, we are his notes. Mom, you are his muse. Beloved friends and family, we are the symphony Dad offers to honor the Blessed Mother. Surrounded by your love and prayers for the repose of the soul of our beloved father, we are inspired to live our lives by his example – to do our best to please God.

Condolence: Dear Rory:

I am so sad to learn of Robert's passing. Below is the tribute I posted here at the District this morning. May God's tender mercies surround you and your family. Robert's love for you all was something to admire.

Sincerely Yours,
Becky Moser

It is with genuine sadness that I announce the passing of our former teammate Robert LaManque.

Robert served with the Corps from November 1989 through September 2012. In that time, he volunteered for nearly every USACE humanitarian effort for two decades. His willingness to serve others helped to solidify the Corps’ reputation of providing exceptional support to friend and allies in times of need.

I met Robert about two days after my arrival here. I was quickly assigned to assist him with the Egyptian Equipment Procurement Team. I become his trusty sidekick, becoming more aggressively involved as his health declined. Though he was sometimes stubborn and frustrating, his gratitude for my help was always genuine.

Robert was an exceptionally kind man who always had the time and energy to care about his colleagues. A legendary storyteller, he was quick with a joke and always had a sympathetic ear to listen or a shoulder to lend.

One day, after a particularly awful and endless PDT meeting, I was upset about the friction amongst our team. When I returned from lunch I found the following on my desk. It was and is Mr. LaManque in a nutshell. Simple, human kindness.

“People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies. Succeed anyway. What you spend years building someone can destroy overnight. Build anyway. If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway. If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today, may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Giver your best anyway. For you see, in the end it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.” – Mother Teresa

The world has grown a bit less gentle and accepting with his passing. In honor of Mr. LaManque, I invite you to join me this week to make a real effort to “do it anyway.” Forgive, be kind, succeed, build, be honest, be happy, do good, give your best – for yourself and for Robert.

Sincerely,
Rebecca Moser

Condolence: "Kuya" Robert as a used to call him at times, in my humble way of showing my respect for him, and at the same time an expression of my closeness to him as a "brother". I first met him in a professional setting, but that relationship quickly turned into a deep friendship, which I will treasure for the rest of my life. I was saddened when he moved away from Virginia to Florida, thinking that I would never see him again. Now, that he has moved on to another life, I don't feel as sad anymore, because now I am even more reminded of the great moments that we spent time while we mixed work with pleasure. Yes, a big emphasis on pleasure. It was a pleasure for having to know him, worked with him, sang with him, drunk with him, played with him. In short he was a catalyst in my life to enjoy life to the fullest as everyone should.

Condolence: Knowing the man in person was a gift. The Cuz'n was one of the wittiest fellows I've ever met; quietly madcap. He was a master of non-sequitur humor, which I love myself, and our times together were filled with hours of the mad stuff. On more than one occasion, our “play” captured the attention of people around us and we presently filled a room with laughter; all because of my Cuz’n Robert’s wonderful and light hearted view of the world.
He was the easiest of men to like. I doubt if he ever had an unkind thought, or said an unkind thing about anyone. But, boy, could he make light of all of our shortcomings; a light that was like a beautiful day.
Here is his last message to a little e-mail list we have:
I was talking about my computer problems and then how grateful I am for what he has given me thus far. Then I began to think about the persecuted and martyred and how those folk have real problems compared with mine.

I began to think about not only those in physical torment but those who convert under duress, thinking they are saving their families. What shame they must feel. How like Peter and Judas they must feel. Those are real problems.
I began to feel a little bit awkward bothering God about my fairly good health, my computer, and the ills of my friends. But then I got a flash; He's God. He answers ALL prayer. He doesn't have a priority list system like, "Your sister is much more in need so I'll get to you later." Or, your friend is much more deserving so kindly wait in line".
Conclusion: Keep 'em coming bub, big and small. I love answering prayers.
"Come to me all who labor and are heavily burdened and I will give you rest."
Isn't God great?
cuzn blesseth thee
He always signed his notes with those three words, and I believed he meant it as few folks do… I will miss him very much.

Condolence: How blessed am I to have had the opportunity to know and spend time with you. Our loss is heaven's gain.
Victory is yours, dear cuz.