Florent Beaudette

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FLORENT BEAUDETTE

It is with heavy hearts that we announce Florent Beaudette’s passing, on July 28, 2015, at Boundary Trails Health Centre. Following a brief battle with cancer, he passed away peacefully at the age of 76 surrounded by the love of his family.

Florent leaves to mourn his wife of nearly 53 years, Céline (née Gendre) and his four daughters: Julie (Derryl) Reid and her children Alix (Simon), Nicholas (Yuka) and Sarah; Roxanne (Bill) and her children Benoît, Natasha, Sophie and Claire Morham; Karine (Michel Loiselle), her son Julien and her stepsons Zacharie and Jean-Luc; and Anita (Luc Bourgeois) and her children Manon and Samuel. He also leaves his sisters Isabelle Brodeur and Jocelyne (Daniel) Rousseau; his brothers Gérard, Gilles (Geneviève) and Denis (Jacqueline); his brothers-in-law Wilfried Holtmann, René Desrosiers and Léonard (Irène) Gendre; his sisters-in-law Rose Delorme, Peggy Gendre, Irène Gendre and Angelina (Gerald) Connelley; as well as numerous nephews, nieces, cousins and friends.

He was predeceased by his parents Edouard and Rose-Aimée (née Champagne), his sisters Agathe, Lorraine and Lucille, his brother-in-law Léo Brodeur, his parents-in-law Ulysse and Rosanna (née Lambert) Gendre, and numerous brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law of the Gendre side of the family.

Florent was born on February 26, 1939, on the Beaudette homestead in St. Jean-Baptiste, Manitoba. When he was 11, he left home to undertake his classical studies at St. Boniface College. A bright student, he obtained his Bachelor of Arts in 1958 and then continued his studies at the University of Manitoba in agriculture. Around this time, he met Céline. Shortly before their wedding in 1962, he obtained work with the federal Department of Commerce and the newlyweds moved to Ottawa.

After the birth of their first daughter, Flo was seconded to the federal Overseas Commercial Service and, in 1966, the young family moved to England where a second daughter was born. Another move, to France this time, and another daughter later, the couple returned to Ottawa in 1971, where the fourth daughter was born. In between these moves were many trips to various parts of the world, sometimes for business and sometimes for pleasure. In 1975, Flo left the public service, re-established his family on the Beaudette farm in St. Jean-Baptiste, and began work as an agronomist for Roy Légumex. Between 1989 and 1998, he served as reeve for the Rural Municipality of Montcalm, during which the Flood of the Century occurred in 1997. He (finally!) retired in 2004 and was then able to focus more on favourite past-times: gardening, curling, reading, travelling, crossword puzzles, genealogy and keeping abreast of world events, amongst others.

Very community-minded, he was active in many organizations (including the Pembina Valley Water Cooperative and the Farm Days organizing committee) and in the Knights of Columbus, was a regular customer of the local coffee shop and participated in many local activities. His fine bass voice and strong presence sometimes “frightened” the children around him (especially his girls), but these qualities also served him well in the parish choir, in the Montcalm Theatre troupe, and at numerous professional and community events. A proud Francophone, he and Céline instilled in their children and grandchildren a love of the French language and culture. Family gatherings were always filled with laughter, even during “very serious” crokinole tournaments, a game that Flo enjoyed since youth and played with formidable skill. Always the joker, he kept his sense of humour to the very end. Flo came into contact with countless people during his life. He will be profoundly missed by his family and by all those who knew him.

The family wishes to sincerely thank the staff of the Boundary Trails Health Centre, in particular Drs. Woelk and Menzies and all the staff of the Medical Unit.

A funeral service will be held on Saturday, August 15, 2015, at 2:00 p.m. in the St. Jean-Baptiste Catholic Church. It will be preceded by eulogies at 1:30 p.m. and will be followed by the burial of the cremated remains in the St. Jean-Baptiste cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made to the Health and Stroke Foundation or to the Palliative Care ward of the Boundary Trails Health Centre.

Family and friends may send their condolences to www.desjardinsfuneralchapel.ca

Desjardins Funeral Chapel in care of arrangements, 204-233-4949 or 1-888-233-4949.

As published in The Carillon on Jul 31, 2015