FRANCIS THEOPHILE APPELMANS

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FRANCIS THEOPHILE APPELMANS August 18, 1922 - May 5, 2006 It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father and grandfather on Friday evening at St. Boniface Hospital with his family by his side. He leaves to mourn his loving wife of 52 years Ida (née LaFortune) and four sons Raymond, Robert (Tannis), René (Denyse) and Roger and grandchildren Mariah and Hope, his youngest sister Josée (Henri) Van Keer-Appelmans in Belgium and sisters-in-law Irene Clifford, Marguerite (Georges) Petit, Yvonne Brodie, Georgette (George) Forbes, Anita Balzer, Fernande Masse (LaFortune) and numerous nieces, nephews and many dear friends. He was predeceased by his parents René and Thérèse Appelmans - Wijnant, brothers Firmin and Josef and sisters Anny and Maria, also his father and mother in-law Georges and Eugénie LaFortune, brothers-in-law Joseph, Marcien, Hubert, and Edouard and sisters-in-law Berthe, Jeanette, Cécile, and Thérèse. Francis was born in Denderleeuw, Belgium on August 18, 1922. He was attending the University of Antwerp when Germany invaded Belgium. He joined the British Royal Navy where he served on corvettes escorting convoys between Canada and the British Isles and was wounded in action. In the fall of 1948, he immigrated to Canada and worked on the Dion family dairy farm in St. Claude, Manitoba. He later came to Winnipeg where he worked as foreman for Supercrete Ltd. and met Ida while working there . After a few years of courting, they were married by Msgr. Cahill on August 8, 1953 at St. Mary's Cathedral. As a contractor and skilled brick layer, he built several homes throughout Winnipeg and took great pride in building a model home of Supercrete products on LaVerendrye Street. In 1954 he built a larger home for his family on a piece of land on St. Anne's Road. In 1960, he established a lightweight aggregate plant in St. Boniface where he worked as President and Plant Manager for 14 years. In the early 70s, Frank and Ida started a nursery and garden centre in St. Vital, Arbo Flora, which has developed into the family business. Throughout his life, Frank was a loving husband and father, very devoted to his family. Through his caring and generous nature he touched the hearts of many. Even when diagnosed in the mid 80's with Parkinson's, he demonstrated great determination and patience in the face of this adversity. He drew inspiration from Pope John Paul II. Like St. Francis, his namesake, Frank had a passion for nature. He would often be tending to his plants on the patio, in the garden or in the greenhouse. He delighted cutting and sharing his roses with family and friends, and caring for the numerous family pets. He'd spend time grooming the dogs to be rewarded with tail wags and rollovers and he always had cookies and goodies for them. He enjoyed several trips to Belgium throughout the years visiting family and old friends. He was tickled pink to become grandfather of Mariah in April 1995 and again, more recently, of Hope in April 2006 and was looking forward to spending more time with his granddaughters, he loved children. If Frank ended up halfway around the world from Belgium, he somehow never roamed far from home. He was happier working in the garden or greenhouses than going out on the town. A change of seasons was better then a holiday. He never tired of watching for that first robin in spring, an ice cream during the summer heat, the leaves colouring in fall and the geese heading south for winter. His favourite music was you guessed it, Vivaldi's 4 seasons. The family would like to extend heartfelt thanks to his family doctors, Dr. Patrick Doyle, Dr. Richard Duval and his neurologist Dr. Doug Hobson, for their many years of outstanding dedicated care. Also, we wish to express our appreciation and gratitude to the many doctors and nurses at the intensive care units and unit 5E of St. Boniface Hospital over these last 2 months. Vendredi le 5 mai à l'Hôpital St. Boniface, Francis Appelmans est décédé paisiblement, à l'âge de 83, sa famille à ses côtés. Il laisse dans le deuil son épouse bien aimée depuis 52 ans, Ida (née LaFortune) et ses quatre fils Raymond, Robert (Tannis), René (Denyse) et Roger, et ses deux chères petites filles Mariah et Hope, ainsi que sa soeur Josée Van Keer-Appelmans (Henri), son neveu Omer et sa famille de Belgique et ses cinq belles soeurs de la famille LaFortune. Arrivé de Belgique, au Manitoba, à l'automne de 1948, Francis est devenu un de la famille Dion sur la ferme à St. Claude, et Robert Dion son nouveau frère et grand ami. La famille veut remercier les personnes qui ont assistés aux soins de Francis durant son séjour à l'hôpital, ce fut un appui merveilleux. Prayers presided by Rev. Father Ron Léger will be held at Desjardins Funeral Chapel, 357 DesMeurons Street, on Wednesday evening May 10Th at 7.30 pm. Mass of the resurrection will be celebrated by Very Rev Father Michael Koryluk at St. Mary's Cathedral, 353 St. Mary Avenue on Thursday afternoon May 11 at 2 pm. Interment will take place at Woodridge Parish Cemetery on Friday. Memorial donations may be made to the Parkinson Foundation, 161 Donald Street, Suite 302, Winnipeg, MB R3C 1M4, or a charity of your choice. The Desjardins Funeral Chapel in care of arrangements, 233-4949 or toll free 1-888-233-4949.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on May 09, 2006