Edouard G. Lebel

Edouard Guillaume Lebel died peacefully in his home surrounded by his loving family after a long and brave journey with ALS on Wednesday, June 22, 2022. He was 56.

Born in Cincinnati on November 14, 1965, to Lise and Bernard Lebel, Edouard spent most of his childhood and teens in Pully, Switzerland, located on the shores of Lake Geneva. 

As a young man and a proud Swiss American, Edouard served in the Swiss Army, earning the rank of First Lieutenant. He was a lifelong learner, subsequently graduating from the ETH Zürich with a Master’s in Biotechnology, followed by a PhD in Molecular Biology. His love for science brought him to Research Triangle Park, NC, where he was a post-doctoral fellow at Ciba Geigy. Several years later, he switched gears and became a patent agent at Novartis. His career in patents spanned 25 years and included a two-year stay in Basel, Switzerland, where he worked at Syngenta and became a European Patent Attorney. He spent the past 15 years in the legal department of Boehringer Ingelheim in Ridgefield, CT. In May 2019, Edouard graduated from the UConn School of Law after attending its four-year evening program. He then passed the CT Bar Exam three months later. Edouard was a beloved colleague and a dear friend and mentor to many.

But most of all, Edouard was a true family man. He adored Sabine, his wife of nearly 26 years, and loved his children Patrick, Julian, and Catherine beyond words. He was always their biggest cheerleader and enjoyed spending time with them above all else. Edouard and Sabine shared a love of traveling and discovering the world and took their children on many trips. Summer vacations were frequently spent in Europe with their extended families from Switzerland and Germany. Two of Edouard’s favorite places to visit were Paris and Lake Geneva, which always transported him back to fond childhood memories.

A native French speaker, Edouard was also fluent in English and German. He raised his own children in a trilingual household and passed his penchant for languages onto them from an early age. Edouard was an avid tennis player and loved to be on the court with his children. He also had a good listening ear, and would always share words of encouragement with Sabine, his children, nieces and nephews, and anyone else who needed it.

Edouard was a kind man with a big heart and an infectious smile. His grace, humility, resilience, positivity, and enthusiasm for life served him well, especially as he was living with ALS. He never focused on things he could not do, but instead on those things he could do. 

In addition to his wife, children, and parents, Edouard will be missed dearly by his brother Frédéric Lebel, sister-in-law Géraldine and nieces Pauline, Nadia, and Ariane; his mother-in-law Elfriede Hardenack; his brother-in-law Markus Hardenack, sister-in-law Christina and nephews and nieces Marcel and Sabine, Niklas and Jacqueline, Jakob and Hannah; and brother-in-law Stefan Hardenack and sister-in-law Kerstin. He will also be missed by many cousins as well as friends and colleagues near and far. Edouard was one-of-a-kind, and to be loved by him was to be truly blessed.

The family would like to express its deepest gratitude to Dr. Kevin Felice and his team (Hospital for Special Care, New Britain, CT) and Dr. James Berry and his group (MGH, Boston, MA) for their care, compassion, and many good discussions. A heartfelt thank you goes to Ronnie Charles and the wonderful team at RVNA Hospice for the care, comfort, and kindness they brought into the family’s home in recent months.

A funeral mass will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 30, 2022, at Sacred Heart Church, 910 Main Street South, Southbury, CT. Burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers, a donation to The ALS Association CT Chapter (www.alsact.org) or Team Gleason (www.teamgleason.org/donate) would be greatly appreciated by the family.

To send an online condolence, please visit www.munsonloveterefuneralhome.com.

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