DENIS SOUCHAY

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DENIS SOUCHAY On Sunday, October 16, 2011, Denis passed away at home with his wife Elizabeth Gossen by his side. He is predeceased by his parents, Pierre and Geneviève Souchay; his sisters, Yvette, Marie and Françoise; and his brother Jacques. He leaves to mourn in France, his siblings, Geneviève, Christiane, Anne-Marie, Yves and Jean and their partners and families. As well, his son François; his daughter Annick, her husband Fred and their children, Stéphanie (Stephen) and Nathalie; his stepson Karl, his wife Brook and their children, Willow, Asher and Summer; and his stepson Paul, his wife Sharon and their children, Matthew, Kendra and Alex, mourn his passing. He will be sorely missed by his former wife Solange Chabannes and her partner Bruno Gossen. Denis was born August 2, 1931 in Paris, France. The eldest of 10 children, he lived through the Second World War which remained a subject of intense interest for the rest of his life. Later, he did his compulsory military service in the French Air Force, opting to come to Calgary for his training. Back in France, he met Solange Chabannes in 1954 and they were married that same year. In 1956, they immigrated to Canada because Denis wanted to provide their children with better opportunities than were available in France at that time. He and Solange moved to Winnipeg because being in the middle of the country appealed to Denis. During the first years in Winnipeg, Denis did many different types of work. He drove long-haul trucks for Standard Chemical for many years before deciding, in 1970, to find a job which would not involve leaving home for long periods. He worked briefly for Brett-Young Seeds before starting a career in real estate. He worked first as an agent with several local firms before certifying as a broker and starting his own company, Royal Realty, with then partner and later spouse, Elizabeth Gossen. The company started as a real estate agency before specializing as a property management firm. Denis worked steadily until falling ill early this year. The family would like to express appreciation for the professional care and compassion shown by: The Palliative Care team, Doctor St. Godard, Doctor Garcia and Doctor Moffat, the Palliative Care nurse Kate, his respite aide Kelly, the staff and nurses at Executive Nursing, in particular, Kristen. Cremation has already taken place. A private memorial service will be held on Friday. In lieu of flowers, Dennis and the family would be honoured by any donations to bile duct cancer research. Donations may be sent to the St. Boniface Foundation care of Doctor Dana Moffat, Director of Pancreatico-biliary Endoscopy Program, C1026 - 409 Taché Ave., Winnipeg, MB R2H 2A6.

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As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Oct 19, 2011