Jean “Fritz” Pierre Louis, who died in November in the forest near Oakridge, is being remembered by friends as a man who loved nature and his work as a tailor.
Louis received the nickname Fritz during his childhood in Haiti.
“He would say, ‘not even my mom calls me Jean. Everybody calls me Fritz,” his friend and caregiver Christian Gomes told KLCC.
But a favorite Oregon hobby gave him a second nickname.
“We always called him ‘The Mushroom Man.’” said Gomes. “A friend of ours wrote a poem, ‘Mushroom Man, Mushroom Man.’”
Louis lived in Venezuela for decades before relocating to the United States and settling in Oregon. His time in Oregon was largely spent in Eugene, though he did live in Roseburg for a time.
Louis was fond of the mountains and trees.
"Normally on Saturdays, he would go to the mountain, but just to rest, to read, just to be there in nature. He wasn’t picking mushrooms or anything. He liked the mountains very much," said Gomes.
That fondness extended through his life. He would also frequent mountains in Venezuela, picking bananas.
Gomes said Louis also enjoyed his work at Natalia's Alteration and Tailoring in Eugene’s 5th Street District. He said Louis was thankful to find employment later in life, and it was hard to get him to leave work for things like doctor’s appointments.
A celebration of life will be held Sunday, Dec. 7 in Eugene.
