ALICE JEANNE (BILODEAU) BELL (nee DELALOYE)

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ALICE JEANNE (BILODEAU) BELL (nee DELALOYE) Peacefully and surrounded by her loving family, Alice passed away in her 91st year at Saint-Boniface Hospital, Saturday, September 21, 2002. She was predeceased by her parents, Henri Joseph and Valentine; her husbands, Emile Bilodeau and Charlie Bell; sister Suzanne (Albert) Lecuyer; brother Jean (Edlin) Delaloye; father and mother-in-law, Eugene and Rose de Lima; brother-in-law Emmanuel Bilodeau; sisters-in-law, Soeur Irene and Soeur Eugenie Bilodeau. Mom, Gramma and Great-gramma will be lovingly remembered by her five children, daughter Suzanne (Joe) Schroeder of Sperling and family, Janet (friend Murray Vogt), Donna (friend Terry Klein), Bonnie (Jeff) McEachern, daughter Sydney; son Arthur (Lee) Bilodeau of Winnipeg and family, Jacqueline, Danielle and Paul; daughter Marie Lonfat-Delaloye of Grand Forks, BC, and family, Marc (Nicole) Bilodeau and daughter Jourdan, and Joel Bilodeau; son Joseph (Sandra) Bilodeau of Lethbridge, AB, and family, Tannis (Darcy) Brown, Tara and Trisha; daughter Anne (Alfred) Phaneuf of Winnipeg and family, Celeste (friend Darcy Sabourin), Melissa (friend Erik Ahi) and Francois; as well as her stepson Jamie (Elizabeth) Kabernick of Bolivia, South America, and family, Jadon and Elisa. Alice will also be fondly remembered by Charlies family, son Ed (Sue) Bell; daughter Margaret (Gordon) Delf; and son Eric Bell (deceased) and each of their families. Alice also leaves behind brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Donat and Marie Bilodeau, Albert and Yolande Bilodeau, Gerald and Aline Bilodeau, Georgette and Rolly Gervais, Louisa Bilodeau, Cecile Bilodeau; numerous nieces and nephews as well as cousins in Switzerland. Alice Jeanne was born in Sperling, MB, on January 5, 1912. She was the youngest of three children born to Valentine Lonfat-Delaloye and Henri Joseph Delaloye who emigrated from Switzerland in 1904. Mom and her beloved Emile were married October 17, 1939, and farmed in the Sperling area. Following his sudden death in 1952, and with the youngest of her five children being seven days old, mom found the strength and fortitude to maintain the family farm while raising her young family. Later in her life, mom moved to Winnipeg, met and married Charles (Charlie) Bell who passed away in 1973. Alice grew up a farm girl, working hard with her parents and siblings to make ends meet. Moms interests included horseback riding, gardening, curling until the age of 82 (honorary lifetime member of the Fort Rouge Legion Curling Club), volunteer worker for the Canadian Red Cross and she was an active member of the St. Ignatius Catholic Womens League. Mom enjoyed reading, watching sports, playing Scrabble and cribbage and one of her fondest memories was playing cards with the Sperling Rummoli gals. Moms home became a home away from home for her grandchildren, nieces, nephews and their friends, and no one ever left her home hungry. Moms very essence included her faith, her family, her heritage, her love of the land, her hospitality and selflessness, always putting others before herself. The family wishes to thank the staff at Tache Nursing Centre for looking after mom during her short stay there. Also sincere thanks to the staff in Emergency and Family Medicine Ward on 6A of the St. Boniface General Hospital for the care and compassion shown to mom during her brief overnight stay at the hospital on her journey to heaven. Prayers will be held Wednesday, September 25 at 7:30 p.m. at Desjardins Funeral Chapel, 357 Des Meurons St. Funeral mass will be celebrated on Thursday, September 26 at 2:00 p.m. at the Sainte-Agathe Roman Catholic Church, Sainte-Agathe, MB, with interment to follow at the Sainte-Agathe Parish Cemetery. A gathering of family and friends will follow. Flowers gratefully declined. If friends and family so desire, memorial donations may be made in Alices name to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba, 6 Donald St., Suite 200, Winnipeg, MB, R3L 0K6. Mom, you have been "tired, tired and more tired" for so long, may you rest in peace! The Desjardins Funeral Chapel in care of arrangements 233-4949; toll free 1-888-233-4949.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Sep 25, 2002