Eloise A. Briere

Eloise A. Briere, 80, passed away peacefully at her home on Monday, March 30, 2026, after a long battle with cancer. She led an extraordinary life. Born in Northampton, MA, to Henry and Gabrielle Chicoine, farmers living in nearby Easthampton, she attended a bilingual French-English grade school run by Franco-American nuns. After graduating from high school she attended the University of Massachusetts, studying French. She then served as a delegate of the International Farm Youth Exchange in Switzerland (through 4H) working for six months on farms throughout that country. Moving to Paris in May of 1968 to work as a translator, she arrived amidst the tumult of the student rebellion and nationwide strike. She subsequently took courses at the Sorbonne, where she met her husband, whom she married in 1970. They then spent two years as high school teachers in Dakar, Senegal (West Africa), journeying there on the last passenger ship to ever make that trip from Marseille. She became a mother there, giving birth to their daughter, and earned her second Master’s degree. Over the course of the following eight years the three resided in both Bordeaux and Toronto, where she earned another Master’s degree and a PhD. In 1978 Eloise moved to Yaoundé, Cameroon, with their daughter to spend a year on a Fulbright scholarship researching African literature and interviewing writers. In 1979, she and her husband moved to Albany where she obtained a position at the University at Albany and had a long career, retiring in 2012 as full professor emerita. Eloise was the first to introduce French language literature from outside of Europe (Quebec, the Caribbean and Africa) to the university. She also took students on study trips to Haiti and Senegal. She published several books and numerous articles about francophone literature. She also served as President of the International Council for Francophone Studies for several years.

From humble farm kid to respected professor, Eloise was a trailblazer, with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Eminently approachable, she was a mentor to many, and had a wonderful sense of humor (her harmonica was often brandished to great comic effect, especially over the phone on birthdays). She will be greatly missed by all those whose lives she touched.

Eloise was predeceased by her brother Richard of Easthampton MA, and is survived by her husband Jean-François of Delmar, her daughter Caroline and son-in-law Daniel Stone of Albany, and her brothers William, Francis and Alfred of Western, MA as well as many cousins, nieces and nephews.

Visiting hours will be held on Thursday, April 9, 2026 from 4pm to 7pm at Applebee Funeral Home at 403 Kenwood Avenue, Delmar, NY. A funeral mass will be held at 10am on Friday, April 10, 2026 at St.Thomas the Apostle Church, 35 Adams Place, Delmar.