Oscar-nominated actress Leslie Caron lends her voice to "Mother of Normandy," a documentary film about a little-known but unforgettable woman who bridged an ocean between her beloved corner of France and the families who lost loved ones in the battle for the liberation of Europe during World War II. Simone Renaud, wife of the wartime Mayor of Ste. Mere-Eglise, spent 44 years expressing to the families of the fallen, and to surviving veterans of the D-Day invasion, her undying gratitude for freeing her country from Nazi occupation. She expressed that gratitude by tending to the graves of the of American soldiers and corresponding with their loved ones back home one letter at a time, one personal visit at a time, and by arranging commemorations that continue today, nearly 35 years after her death. She became friend, family, and touchstone to those whose lives were forever changed by D-Day. The mark she left is indelible. Her story is too.
