BERTHE MARION- BELANGER

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BERTHE MARION- BELANGER Berthe Marion-Belanger, 92, died peacefully after an illness in Bath, NB, on Sunday, February 25, 2001. Berthe was born in St. Boniface, MB, on March 26, 1908, the youngest of eight children since deceased, to Joseph A. Marion and Marie Couture. Berthe and Ulric Belanger married in 1940 and raised five children in Stony Mountain, MB. In 1962, Ulric was transferred to Collins Bay, ON, then to Moncton, NB until 1971, after which Berthe and Ulric retired in St. Vital, MB. In 1997 they moved to Bath to live with their youngest daughter Jeanine and her husband Gilles. Berthe relished language, and was an accomplished teacher of both French and English. She taught from 1957 in Stony Mountain and Stonewall, where her high school students of French dubbed her "Little Napoleon". Berthe co-authored a text in 1964 for the teaching of French at the elementary level in Kingston, ON. She piloted the teaching of French to English-speaking elementary school children in Moncton, before her retirement in 1971. Berthe followed in the footsteps of her father Joseph A. Marion, who was distinguished for devoting his life to the preservation of the French language and Catholic schools in Manitoba. Berthe was a lifelong learner with a sense of adventure and a zest for living. Aside from her daily activities of attending mass, reading, doing crosswords and playing cards and games, she packed up her sewing machine and began oil painting prolifically in 1982. She added surfing the Internet to her daily routine in 1998, though she continued to communicate with dear, long-standing friends and family by phone and mail. Ulric, her husband of 58 years, died on September 13, 1998 in Bath, NB. Their beloved daughter Annette DeLevie died on May 29, 1995. Berthe is survived by her son Andre and wife Karen of Regina, SK, and her three daughters and their spouses, Diane and Jean-Pierre Leclaire of Dorval, PQ, Cecile and David Tousignant of Fitchburg, MA and Jeanine and Gilles Gallant; 18 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her brother-in-law, the Rev. Fr. Bernard Belanger of St. Boniface; and sisters-in-law, Denise and Leah Belanger of St. Boniface, Juliet Belanger of Montreal; son-in-law Gary DeLevie of Vancouver; and several nieces and nephews. A funeral mass was held at St. Josephs Church, Bath, NB, on Friday, March 2 at 3:00 p.m., presided by Fr. Keith Neilson. A memorial service will be led by Rev. Fr. Bernard Belanger on Friday, March 9 at 10:00 a.m. at Desjardins Funeral Chapel, 357 Des Meurons St. Interment of cremated remains will take place at Glen Lawn Memorial Gardens. A gathering of relatives and friends will take place at Desjardins Funeral Chapels Reception Centre. CROSSING THE BAR Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1808-1892) Sunset and evening star, And one clear call for me! And may there be no moaning of the bar When I put out to sea, But such a tide as moving seems asleep, Too full for sound and foam, When that which drew from out the boundless deep Turns again home. Twilight and evening bell, And after that the dark! And may there be no sadness of farewell, When I embark; For though from out our bourn of time and place The flood may bear me far, I hope to see my Pilot face to face When I have crossed the bar. The Desjardins Funeral Chapel in care of arrangements, 233-4949 or toll free 1-888-233-4949.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Mar 07, 2001