RAYMOND HENRY FONSETH

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RAYMOND HENRY FONSETH March 2, 1919 - September 18, 2006 Surrounded by his wife and children, Raymond Henry Fonseth, faithful, servant of Jehovah, passed away peacefully at Deer Lodge Centre at the age of 87. Raymond was predeceased by his mother, father and sister. He is survived by his wife Irene; his daughter Karen (Don); his son Keith (Nikki) and his grandchildren Kendall and Cassie. Raymond was born March 2, 1919 in Cando, North Dakota and moved to Teulon, MB with his mother Agnes and sister Pearl in 1922 to live on his grandparent's farm where he developed a tremendous appreciation of country life and enjoyed the love and protection of an extended family, especially his beloved aunt Mary. Raymond joined the army at age 22 and served in the Provo Corps. He served throughout Europe where he discovered that he had a true capacity for languages by easily learning both German and Italian. Upon returning to civilian life in Winnipeg at age 27, Raymond acknowledged that the traumatic experiences of war had changed his mind about the police career he had planned to embark on and instead he joined the T. Eaton Company where he stayed for 38 years until his retirement. In 1948 Raymond met his future wife Irene at a dance and they married two years later. The couple enjoyed a very extended fourteen year honeymoon before welcoming daughter Karen into the world, followed by son Keith, two and a half years later. From then on, he devoted himself entirely to his family and delighted in every aspect of his children's lives. Although Raymond did not have the luxury of a formal education, he had an avid lifelong interest in a number of hobbies and was self-taught to championship level in both fiddle' playing and snooker. Music was his greatest love outside of his family. He was a renowned singer around town. In addition to his love for singing country music, he played guitar, accordion and violin in his band. He was offered an opportunity to record in Nashville, which he turned down because it would take him away from his young children. As he grew older, Raymond's activities slowed down but his genuine appreciation for the simplest things never changed. He was an extraordinarily happy and good-natured person who could find as much enjoyment in a trip to Tim Horton's for coffee as others would find in a trip to Paris. His greatest joy in the last years of his life was his beautiful granddaughters, Kendall and Cassie, who will be blessed to always have memories of him. Failing health necessitated Raymond's move to the Deer Lodge Centre in 2005, where he was expertly cared for by the Tower 7 staff that loved and supported him until his last day with us. While this move was difficult for him, he recognized he was among his fellow veterans and enjoyed the frequent visits of his family and friends. He loved the weekly musical performances in the Centre's main floor lobby. The family would especially like to thank Dawn for being a kind, caring surrogate daughter to our dad during his stay on Tower 7 and all of the T7 staff who became like extended family to all of us during those last difficult days. Memorial service will be held on Friday, September 22 at Deer Lodge, Worship Centre, 2109 Portage Ave., 2nd Floor. In lieu of flowers, those who would like to honor his memory with a charitable gift are invited to make a contribution to the Deer Lodge Foundation. Revelation 21:3,4 We will see you in paradise LECLAIRE BROTHERS in care of arrangements, 775-2220.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Sep 21, 2006