BENOIT PHILIPPE CORMIER

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BENOIT PHILIPPE CORMIER April 10, 1921 - March 9, 2003 Peacefully, after a brief but brave struggle with illness, Ben passed away in the evening of March 9, 2003 in the Palliative Care Unit of the St. Boniface Hospital. Ben was predeceased by his wife Lucy (nee Allard) his brothers, Camille and Aime; his sister Therese; and his lifelong pal Ray Rochon. Ben will be greatly missed by his son Charles (wife Lisa, daughter Stephanie) his brothers and sisters, his many relatives and friends, as well as his special friend Lorraine Lambert, who was at his bedside when he released his last breath and sailed on. Ben was a proud member of the R.C.A.F. and served overseas with the Alouette Squadron 425 during the Second World War. At one point during his tour of duty in England, he drove an ambulance in London during the nightly enemy bombing runs. His recollections of scrapes with barrages of powerful explosions in the blacked-out city streets illustrate his courage and commitment to a cause he upheld on behalf of his country. Bens work history describes his diverse abilities, which include farming, painting, driving cab in Chicago, truck driving, mining, and being a cowboy in Montana. He was also a corrections officer at Vaughn Street Detention Home and a General Manager of the Winakwa Community Club. Bens hobbies included building and maintaining hobby farms, elaborate creations of old honky-tonk pianos, yodelling, and anything that piqued his interest or engaged his lively and inquisitive mind. Ben was a comedian, an artist, an adventurer, and a bushman. He was benevolent, high-spirited, and a great admirer of Aboriginal lore and spirituality. He was beyond reproach as a friend, a brother, a father, an uncle, a husband, and a confidant. Bens improvisational skills as a storyteller, his eye for detail, and quick-wittedness delighted listeners with his tongue-in-cheek and joyously irreverent stories. Ben observed the beautiful ritual of sending a dozen roses to his late wife Lucy on her birthday every year, conveyed to her by his prayers and his love for her. He would say that he knew she had received them when the smell of fresh roses filled the room in which he was remembering her. Bens generosity extends itself even after the end of his life, as he has donated his body for anatomical studies to the Faculty of Medicine at The University of Manitoba. At Bens request, there will be no funeral service. Donations to the Canadian Cancer Society are welcome.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Mar 12, 2003