JOSEPH JEAN MARIE (JOHN) LEPAGE

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JOSEPH JEAN MARIE (JOHN) LEPAGE

On Thursday, May 25, 2023, Joseph Jean Marie (John ) LePage passed away at the age of 92.

John is survived by his son Parry, daughter-in-law Sheri Grift, granddaughters Adara and Melodie and sister and brother-in-law Monique and Gregoire Mercier.

He is predeceased by his sister Solange, first wife Shirley LePage, brother Raymond LePage, and second wife Mildred Turner .

John was born on December 27, 1930, in Rimouski, Quebec. Later, he was adopted by Arthur and Mary Louise LePage. No stranger to hard work, John toiled at the local lumber mill before moving away in his late teens to take up various jobs in the hospitality industry as a waiter and bartender in Montreal, New York and Toronto.

In 1956, John was lured to Winnipeg by being offered the beverage and banquet manager position of a new establishment, The Paddock. It was here where he met and married Shirley. Almost instantly, she was swept away by John’s charm, fearlessness and seemingly endless penchant for telling jokes.

Soon, John and Shirley moved into a house in St. James that John had a hand in designing. It wasn’t long before they heard the pitter patter of tiny poodle paws in the form of their beloved Bijou. Then, their son, Parry, was born. Even with his new family, John still found time to actively pursue his winter passion, downhill skiing. John often regaled family with the story of when he met the famous skier, Jean-Claude Killy.

During the summer months, John and Shirley enjoyed spending time at the family cottage in Winnipeg Beach. After the Paddock was sold in 1985, John kept himself busy by running and learning a third language, Spanish. He became a bit obsessed, as was his way. John would frequently stay up late, much to Shirley’s chagrin, to finish reading such pieces as the Spanish version of Romeo and Juliet.

When Shirley became very ill, in early 2005, John dedicated himself to looking after her. After Shirley passed, John dove deep into another hobby – touring the world. He was extremely proud to say that he had travelled to 74 countries and he had the pictures to prove it! While visiting the St. James travel agency to book an excursion, John met Mildred, his partner of the past 15 years.

Although fiercely independent, John’s health regressed to the point where he could no longer climb the stairs of his house. He and his cat, Oliver, were happy to move in with Parry and his family. John was so gracious, always saying “thank you” and telling people that he enjoyed staying with them because he was “surrounded by love”.

Almost three weeks into staying there, John passed away from congestive heart failure. Even in his final days, he maintained his appreciation of comedy. On the night before his death, John insisted on having Seinfeld play in the background.

John LePage lived his life to the absolute fullest. And we will forever love him for it.

Cremation has occurred. In lieu of flowers, a memorial donation may be made to Riverview Health Center.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 10:00 a.m. on June 16, 2023 at Chapel Lawn Funeral Home and Cemetery, 4000 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg.

For those who wish to sign the online Guest Book please visit www.chapellawn.ca



Chapel Lawn Funeral Home

204-885-9715

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jun 03, 2023