Hommage à Antoinette QUINTILLA
It is with great sadness we share the news of the death of Antoinette Quintilla in Port-Vendres, France. She was 90 and passed on Sunday, April 24, from complications of a paralyzing fall several years ago. Antoinette, and her sister, Simone, were integral to the formation of our sister city relationship, and worked diligently for the cause of cultural and educational exchange and Franco-American relations. In 2012, Sister Cities Yorktown created the Quintilla Prize to honor those who work diligently over time, contributing time, talent and treasure, to support our mutual goals. Antoinette was the first recipient.
Antoinette had a distinguished life, summarized by the homage of Port-Vendres Mayor Jean-Piere Romero, attached here for all to see. As a teenager, she worked for the French Resistance, earning a medal for service. She attended university, unusual for her time. She had a career. She worked tirelessly to preserve the patrimony of her town, most particularly the obelisk, which has a bronze panel honoring the American War of Independence. She lived her convictions. It is the plan to name a new library in Port-Vendres in memory of the sisters Quintilla.
She was buried on Friday, April 29, under a brilliant Mediterranean sun. One of her favorite songs, “Ceresier rose et pommier blanc” [cherry pink and apple blossom white] played in the background. You could almost hear her singing. May she rest in peace.
We encourage those who knew her to share a comment, or a short memory here.
Sister Cities Yorktown 
debmarqu said:
It was September 1996, 20 years ago. My husband and I arrived in France to live a dream, spend a year. It was through a relationship between Yorktown, Va., and Port-Vendres, France, that we were connected with the sisters Quintilla, Simone and Antoinette, residents of Port-Vendres. Based only on the word of then-Honorary French Consul to Virginia, Nicole Yancey, who helped organize the twinning in 1990, these good sisters agreed to sponsor our visas. They didn’t know us from Adam. We became friends. They opened their hearts and introduced us to our new home, which we came to love enough to buy a house in 2001. While Simone preceded her in death some years ago, Antoinette has remained dear to us, in many ways our French mother. It was a great privilege to work with her on our sister city program. We were frequent guests in Antoinette’s home, and those of her close friends, now our close friends. We have shared food, drink, laughter and song. We have so many wonderful memories with Antoinette: her robust sense of humor, her dedication to preserving the patrimony of this small village, her generosity, her stories. She lived through the Nazi occupation of our village, and lost her fiancé in the war and never married. A few years ago, Antoinette fell in her apartment and was paralyzed. Yet she was courageous and determined, learning to move about in a motorized wheelchair, use special eating utensils and to write by computer and again with her own hand. This March, when we arrived, she had had some medical setbacks. We were invited to lunch in her home. Rather than entertaining a large group as was usual, it was just Antoinette, her (and our) dear friend Annie de Cruz, and us. She said she no longer felt comfortable eating out–only with family. It is an absolute honor to be considered family by Antoinette. We are relieved she no longer suffers. We will always remember and love her. Deborah & Jim Raper
Caroline Lareuse said:
From Caroline Lareuse, lifetime member of Sister Cities Yorktown: “I first met Simone and Antoinette in September 1988, when I guided a small group of “Vieilles Maisons Francaises” and DAR members to visit sites of historical interest in the department of the Pyrenees Orientales. Proceeds from our trip helped with the restoration of the bronze plaque, l’amerique Independent on the obelisk in Port-Vendres. This serendipitouse meeting began a 30-year friendship, which has been one of the most enriching and enjoyable of my life. Long live Sister Cities Yorktown!”
Nicole Yancey said:
I write with great sadness over the loss of my friend Antoinette Quintilla. She fought with courage and dignity all the ailments which plagued her during several years.
She was beautiful, inside and out. One of her beliefs was the importance of human
relations and it shines through her inexhaustible bond with Port-Vendes. To preserve its past, she – and her sister Simone – created “Port Vendres d’abord”. During the creation of the sister city program with Yorktown, she was always there to support the project and she touched many lives in many ways during the visits of citizen delegations. While visiting friends in Treilles, I was able to visit with her over
lunch and as always, enjoyed my time with her. She a truly remarkable woman,
kind and a delight to know.
Don Willis said:
What a sad day for our two villages. I am so privileged to have been able to meet her and see her during our visits to Port-Vendres. What a wonderful lady and what passion for the relationship between Yorktown and Port-Vendres. Her history is nothing short of amazing as she was an incredible patriot and supporter for the cause of liberty. She will be missed on both sides of the Atlantic.