LELAND — Renee Poirier Jessup Renee, 67, passed away Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. She was born Feb. 1, 1953, in Hamtramck, Michigan, the daughter of Virginia and Raymond Poirier.
Renee grew up in Warren, Michigan, where she attended school through the 10th grade. She relocated with her parents to Charleston, South Carolina, and graduated from R.B. Stall High School.
She married Roy, who she met in high school, and they were blessed with two beautiful daughters, Kimberly and Katherine. Renee had a very long and rewarding career with Cummins Engine Company, starting in the Charleston engine plant, and then relocating with Roy, also a Cummins employee, to the Cummins Rocky Mount engine plant in 1986. Renee’s marriage ended in 1999.
Renee suffered the loss of her daughter Kimberly to Vascular Ehlers-Danslos Syndrome (VEDS), the same disease that took her mother at the young age of 48, and of which Renee and her sister Annette were also afflicted.
Renee retired from Cummins and moved in 2015 to be near her daughter Katherine. She was happily settled in Leland, where she made many friends and attended the Basilica Shrine of Saint Mary Catholic Church. Renee loved animals and was frequently seen walking her rescue dog Bella around her neighborhood.
She greeted, with great pleasure, the birth of her grandson Denver, who she actively helped care for until a toddler. She affectionately embraced “Nae Nae,” the name awarded to her by Denver who brought her immense joy. Renee was a strong VEDS survivor of many previous critical hospitalizations, but her battle with VEDS has finally ended.
She was preceded in death by her daughter, Kimberly Jessup; father and mother, Raymond and Virginia Poirier; and sister, Annette Wolfe.
She is survived by her daughter, Katherine (Christopher) Mitchell of Wilmington; grandson, Denver Mitchell of Wilmington; former husband, Roy Jessup of Goose Creek, South Carolina; aunt, Kathleen (Ronald) Samul of Detroit, Michigan; nephew, Raymond Wolfe; niece, Amanda (Tom)Wolfe; and many close friends.
A memorial service and funeral Mass will be held 10.a.m., Friday, Aug. 21, at the Basilica Shrine of Saint Mary, Wilmington.
The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, memorials be made to The Marfan Foundation, Attention: The VEDS Movement, 22 Manhasset Ave., Port Washington, NY 11050.
Share online condolences with the family at Andrews Mortuary & Crematory.
