MAURICE THEVENOT

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MAURICE THEVENOT

Maurice Thevenot of Somerset, Manitoba, passed away peacefully at the Tiger Hills Health Centre on Monday, August 4, 2025, at the age of 85 years.
Funeral Services will be celebrated in the Notre-Dame-de-la-Nativité Church in Somerset, Manitoba on Friday, August 15, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. The service will be Live Streamed at www.afh.ca
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Amyloidosis Canada – The Canadian Amyloidosis Support Network or a charity of one’s choice.

A 66th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY LETTER TO YOU, MAURICE

"The healthiest competition occurs when average people win by putting above average effort."
-Colin Powell
Maurice, we had a lot of discussions about competition, you were into participation ribbons at Field Days when you were principal at Mariapolis Elementary, yet when you got on the ice with the Somerset Flyers, you played as if winning was the reason for putting your whole strength into the game. I know it wasn't. You'd knock a guy down and then smile and help him get up.
You'd go down to your beloved North Farm, hunting, with the guys, the faces changed over the years, they got younger, it was no longer your brother Romeo, or your experts, John and Stewart or your nephew, Little John, or Ian, as much as your grandkids and your great-grands in the blinds, waiting for that chance to take a shot. You knew they understood the training given to them by the old guys, if they weren't going to learn to process it for the table, they'd better not shoot. As for fish, you looked west to Reg.
You were born with a yearning for farm life. As a pre-teen, you worked for the people who are now our neighbours. At the North Farm, you tried wheat, buckwheat, and got lots of weeds. You tried multiplier onions, planted them and overnight the four-legged creatures dug them all out to eat. You finally gave in and settled on alfalfa. Danny did a lot of hauling of bales out of those fields, now Jon is doing what you would have loved to do yourself.
What started as the Christmas Tree Hunt to the North Farm, became an excuse for a making a huge bonfire, roasting wieners, gorging on them, with risky sled rides down the slopes, you wisely left that for the next generation, in -30C temps, warming up in the shack, and sometimes, to get there, having Jr. clear the trail with his big Tonka toy, you felt like a winner.
Do I need to remind you of your back-up crew, us ladies, getting kids dressed, remembering the details, like condiments, plates, and desserts and then taking care of the total mess when you all got back. Just in case anyone forgot something, we could always depend on one Co-op guy to have a lot of emergency rations.
You had the opportunity to track down your Girouard lineage back to Acadia, when our kids gave us, a trip supposed to be to France, instead, with my brother, Rodger as our chauffeur, we stood on the shores of Acadia and drove Confederation Bridge. On that trip, you traced your Lafrenière's from Penetanguishene to Notre Dame and St Léon. You reconnected with your Métis identity, your grandson finding the missing links your family always told you that you had.
After working at Norway House, you taught for Indian Affairs for 10 years and then at Mariapolis for 27 years. While we might have all pretended that you didn’t have a nickname from the students, your Mr. T. moniker was well known throughout the community.
You retired, built a house, almost single-handed, with cheap labour from our grandkids for the house and the great garden we once had. Bonus, we have lived here for 27 years, and this house is still free of critters. That was not the case in the old Mariapolis rectory.
After your heart attack in 2003, thanks to Rhonda, Crystal and Dr. Bruneau, as well as the lab guy, Darryl and your double bypass, we've had the precious years till now. Some of those years took a lot of effort for you to get through, and lately, supported by the kitchen, housekeeping and nursing staff at Treherne Hospital, as well as Drs. MacTavish, Vorster and Prud'homme, you fought against the giving in. You were in competition with only yourself. You put in the "above average effort". You won for a long time. Not long enough for me, though.
As the teacher you were, to the core of your being, you showed our kids, grandkids and great-grands, and me too, that giving up is not an option. That over-used quotation, was central to your thinking, " Madame, si c’est possible, c’est fait; si cela ne l’est pas, cela se fera." --If it is simply difficult, it is done. If it is impossible, it shall be done.
I’m thinking specifically of your exploration of the cave-in at Mariapolis, for one of your science projects, and you, including a physically challenged student, giving her the same experience as well as the rest of the class, with their help, safely getting her back to the top of the wash-out. A real win.
Your siblings and their families are so important to us, Juliette and Eva, Adrien and Romeo-John, sisters-in-law, Ellen, Shirley, Christine/Noeline, Mary, Ruth, and our god children, Julie-Ann and Leonard.
Your brothers and sisters, Yvonne, Raymond, Paul, Roger, Jerome/Joe, Albert, Cécile, as well as your in-laws, Doreen, Pauline, Nelson, Hervé, Tony, have already connected with you in what our faith has promised us will be our home when we leave here. You have rejoined your much-loved and deeply missed parents, Paul and Yvonne, along with members of my family, Camiel and Isabelle, Léa and Rodger who loved you as their own. You so much wanted to be "home".
You will still be getting your usual morning coffee with Jr., it'll just mean us making half a pot and not sitting at the same table.
You're home. Our forever home. I'll be seeing you when Heaven decides the time is right. For now, I'll just say happy 66th anniversary, love you, I know, don't get all blubbery... love from all of us.
Ilene and all our crew

Maurice Thevenot Jr.

Kathy and Reg Almey

Matthew and Joanne Almey, Emily

Jacob Almey and Alina Stanciu

Laurie DeVlieger

Michael and Jocelyn DeVlieger, Brody, Cole

Janelle and Michael Thompson, Logan, Hannah

Yvonne Thevenot and Ian Davies

Shea and Daniela Thevenot, Tony

Jared Malcolmson and Jessica Nicholson

Darlene Thevenot and John Watt

Levon and Sara Stephanson, Treyce, Legend, Blessed, Aiden, Austin, Dillon, Parker

Vanessa Stephanson, Alexus, Haydon, Aubree, Rocky

Warner and Alex Watt, Ozzy

Chelsea Watt

Adam’s Funeral Home of Notre Dame de Lourdes, Manitoba in care of arrangements. Phone 204-248-2201. Tribute Link: www.afh.ca

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Aug 12, 2025