Melanie Coreus

Melanie Coreus (née Paul), affectionately known as Chawoupoun, was born on August 2, 1960, in Saint Marc, Haiti to Alhoneur Paul and Elizema Elizee. She was the oldest of five children.

Melanie was a lifelong caregiver. After her mother became severely ill, she withdrew from school at an early age to care for her younger siblings. When she was a teenager, the family converted to Christianity and she later became a devout Christian and prayer warrior.

In Melanie’s early adulthood, her mother and father each received a prophetic revelation that inspired her migration to the United States in 1983. She lived with her cousins who migrated at the same time and attended Haitian Community Church of Nazarene in Newark, NJ under the leadership of the late Pastor Arneau Prophete. Utilizing the skills she learned from the trade school she completed in Haiti, Melanie worked as a seamstress for various U.S. manufacturers for approximately 20 years, sewing bedding, flags, and other materials.

Shortly after her migration, Melanie met and fell in love with Joseph Coreus. Their love blossomed into a marriage and two children. By the early nineties, the family had settled in East Orange, NJ. After earnestly praying for her husband’s salvation for several years, he gave his life to Christ and their family became members of Mount Olives Church of God in Orange, NJ in 1995 under the leadership of the late Pastor Charles Rejouis.

In 2006, Melanie moved to Kissimmee, Florida with her family and began working as a housekeeper for Disney. A few years later, her husband’s health declined and she dedicated her time to working and caregiving until he died in 2011. She attended various churches in Florida, but ended up back at a sister church of Mount Olives Church of God in Kissimmee, FL under the leadership of Pastor Joël Jean.

Melanie loved making connections with people. She would spend her days off, primarily Sundays and Mondays, going to church, shopping, and cooking. Then she would end her day by calling her loved ones to check in with them and share some laughs. She was hospitable and had a love for serving wherever and however needed.

On April 1, 2024, Melanie Coreus was called home to be with the Lord. She is preceded in death by her husband, parents, and sister, Anne Rose. She is survived by her children, Illiona (Emmanuel) Okereke, Joey Coreus, and Lonaise Charles; her grandchild, Solomon Okereke; her siblings, Elcina Paul, Muramene (Melege) Romeus, and Nicholas (Claire Rosita) Dorrielan; and extended family members in the U.S., Haiti and abroad, including the Paul, Coreus, and Dorrielan families.