CECILE LABELLE (DEBLOIS)

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CECILE LABELLE (nee DEBLOIS) August 6, 1916 - May 22, 2011 It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt and friend on May 22, 2011 at Repos Jolys. Born in St-Malo on August 6, 1916, the youngest of six children to Alexandre and Céleste (Gladu) DeBlois, Cécile married Joseph Labelle on August 9, 1941, and they lived a rich, happy life in St-Malo. Cécile and Joseph had six children of their own, four daughters and two sons: Pauline (André), Carmelle (Léon - deceased), Yvette (Richard), and Monique (Peter), Gilles, and Michel (Faye). Mémère Labelle was cherished by her 11 grandchildren: Danielle (Anne), Alain (Vickie), Réal (Janice), Robert (Nathalie), Roselynn (Sean), Carole (Guy), Guy, Rachel, Paul, Susanne (Kim), Nicole (Michael); her 12 great-grandchildren as well as many family and friends. Variously known as ma', mum, ma tante, Cécile, mémère, grandma and Madame Labelle, she was a devoted mother to her six children, and faced enormous challenges when her Joseph died in 1964. With the help of family and community, and through her sheer determination and will, strong faith, and joie de vivre, she raised her children and became the matriarch to a large, extended family that continues to ripple across several Canadian provinces and beyond through successive generations. She loved gardening, cooking, sewing, knitting, la bonne musique canadienne française, and of course, bingo and cards. She made endless batches of sucre à la crème for all occasions, and was the life of any gathering with her laughter and force of personality. Her generosity knew no limits, and she helped so many throughout her life. Cécile's legacy will live on through the many lives she has touched, those who loved her, and those still yet to come who will learn of her. A devoted Catholic, her faith gave her great comfort through the later years of her life. All are invited to attend the prayers at 10:30 a.m. followed by the funeral mass at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 26, at the Paroisse St-Malo with a reception afterwards. A celebration of her life will be held on August 6, her 95th birthday, in St-Malo, in conjunction with the interment of her ashes with her beloved husband Joseph. In lieu of flowers, friends and family are asked to make a donation in her name to the Repos Jolys, P.O. Box 320, 354 Prefontaine Ave., St. Pierre-Jolys, MB R0A 1V0, (204) 433-7611, where she received compassionate and exceptional care for seven years. Condolences may be sent to www.desjardinsfuneralchapel.ca Je suis partie rejoindre ceux que j'aimais, maintenant, j'attends ceux que j'aime. DESJARDINS 233-4949 1-888-233-4949

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on May 25, 2011