YVONNE MARIE ASSELIN

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YVONNE MARIE ASSELIN

Passed away in hospital in Ottawa, Ontario on November 22, 2025 at the age of 78, surrounded by her husband, children, and grandchildren.

Yvonne is survived by her husband of 35 years, Eric Wees; by her daughters, Micheline and Hélène (Mario) and son Jean (Ana); by grandchildren, Chiara, Charles, and Gabriella; and by siblings, Jeannine (Ken), René (Claire), Louise (Norm), Chuck (Carol), and Pierrette (Bill). She is predeceased by brother Robert.

Yvonne was born in St. Boniface, Manitoba on January 10, 1947 to Marcel and Simone Asselin (Champagne), both of St. Boniface. She briefly taught primary school in Manitoba - and was spoken highly of as a teacher - then moved to Gatineau, Quebec with her first husband, the late Robert Roch, and became a full-time parent to three children. This marriage ended in divorce. She met her second husband, Eric, in 1988 while working at Coles Book Store in Gatineau. They married in 1990, lived in Ottawa, and Yvonne remained a homemaker for the rest of her life.

Yvonne loved music across many genres and was an accomplished singer from an early age. According to one of her sisters, she practiced her singing every day, and as a young person was told that she had a beautiful voice that could lead to a career in opera. She was one of the lead soloists in a prestigious St. Boniface choir, Les Intrépides, and sang at weddings and other events. One of her schools continued to play a version of her singing "O Canada" on special occasions years after she had graduated. But she did not have an interest in professionally performing, preferring to give expression to her talent in other ways.

Her many other interests included reading, words, and language, including a love of the nuanced fiction of Jane Austen; trying new recipes - including her Christmas baking which her family loved; and a love of classic movies, especially musicals, songs from which she sang around the house throughout her life, and which she and Eric regularly watched together on Saturday evenings.

Yvonne was a private, thoughtful, soft-spoken person, one with many layers beneath the surface that most people knew little of. Hers was a fine and expansive mind, powerfully open to the spiritual and to the understanding that only a veil separates us from the experience of a sublime ultimate reality, one in which she is now joyfully immersed. She was a metaphysical explorer, discovering insight and inspiration through the work of many teachers and evolving into a wise teacher herself.

In the words of one of her siblings, "We will all miss Yvonne's gentle nature and sincere grace" and "calming personality and extreme patience, which must have made her an excellent teacher". She put equanimity into practice - the art of being open, accepting, allowing, practicing non-judgment. Some expressed the memory that they simply felt better being in her presence.

Those who knew her most closely knew her as a role model of integrity, of how to love unconditionally. Yvonne exemplified kindness, giving everyone the benefit of the doubt and demonstrating compassionate understanding. She mentored, shared, and consoled, and was capable of offering forgiveness that would be a stretch for most. Yvonne and Eric gave generously to charities, especially those that bettered the health and wellbeing of women, children, and youth.

More than one person remarked over the years that she resembled the actress Audrey Hepburn, not just in appearance, but in her appreciation for an understated yet classic and elegant manner.

Yvonne had a wonderful and witty sense of humour and an adorable laugh, able to find the funny side of almost any situation, someone who loved and could generate a good pun. She modelled the wisdom of an unhurried pace, calmly optimistic, urging everyone never to take any seemingly somber situation too seriously.

Heartfelt thanks to the Ottawa Paramedic Service and to the medical, nursing, and support staff at Ottawa's Queensway Carleton Hospital - in Emergency, the Acute Care for the Elderly Unit, and the Intensive Care Unit - for their comprehensive and compassionate care.

Cremation has taken place and, at Yvonne's request, there will be no visitation or service. In Yvonne's memory, the family would welcome donations in her name to some of her favourite charities: Operation Smile; Mercy Ships; Doctors Without Borders; Covenant House; Finca; or to a charity of one's choice. Arrangements entrusted to the Kelly Funeral Home - Carling Chapel (613-828-2313).

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Dec 06, 2025