Obituary of LAURENCE ANNE BERARD

LAURENCE ANNE BERARD On April 30, 2016, at the age of 83, Laurence Anne Bérard passed away peacefully at Actionmarguerite (Saint‐Vital). Left to mourn her passing are her children Claude (Louise), Monique (Jack) and Michel. She will be missed by her treasured grandchildren Daniel (Melina) and Jean-Pierre (Jessica), and her great-grandson André. Also left to mourn is her brother Jean-Charles and sisters Gabrielle, Marcelle and Murielle, along with many in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. She was predeceased by her son Daniel, her daughter Diane and her husband Charles (Charlie), and prior to that, by her parents Stanislas and Marie-Adèle Fontaine, her sister Marguerite, her brothers Joseph-Marie, Gérard and Roland along with her grand-parents and numerous in-laws, nephews and countless friends. Laurence was born in Ste. Agathe, MB on August 7, 1932 to Stanislas and Marie-Adèle Fontaine (nee Gagnon). After marrying Charles Bérard on June 14, 1958, she started her own family with the birth of their daughter Diane on April 24, 1959. She subsequently had two sons, a daughter, and another son. Laurence was married to her Charlie for 42 years. Laurence worked as a seamstress for TanJay in Winnipeg before moving to St. Pierre-Jolys in 1972. There, she worked at the St. Pierre Bakery while maintaining the canteen at the local arena. She soon found herself working as a clerk for Marshall Wells hardware store, which later was known to us as ‘chez Lavergne.’ She was very active in the community whether she was singing in the church choir or volunteering countless hours at Frog Follies. Her involvement spread over several groups including the Saint Pierre Jolys Agricultural Society, Club Bicolo, Club Jolys, La Jolys Tea Room, 4H, the local thrift store, and Le Festival du Voyageur, just to name a few. Mom and dad catered many functions but none quite as epic as the feasts that were served during the town’s centennial year; but feeding 1,000+ attendees was just another welcomed challenge for them. Luckily, both mom and dad were great cooks; but it was mom who was the real gourmet in the house. Mom loved spending time with family and friends. No one ever refused a dinner invitation, especially when her ‘famous’ meatballs were being served. Dinner was usually followed by a card game or Scrabble which she played to win! She loved fishing and gardening. She was blessed with a green thumb and excelled at creating prize-winning floral arrangements. She was very gifted at sewing, knitting, embroidery, you name it! It was no surprise that she was often asked to create something for someone! Mom suffered her first stroke on Christmas Eve in 2000; the year dad passed away. Her physical capacities were compromised, but her wit and sense of humour remained stronger than ever. Mom, thank you for your love, your sense of humour and the great memories. The family would like to thank the staff at Actionmarguerite (Saint‐Vital) for the kindness, compassion and excellent care given to Laurence. We would also like to thank our family and friends who supported us throughout this difficult time. A funeral service will be held at the St.Boniface Cathedrale, 190 avenue de la Cathedrale on Friday, May 6, 2016 at 10:30 am, with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made to the Manitoba Heart and Stroke Foundation.