We pray in anticipation of the Resurrection
VOCATION: Jesus calls each and every one of us - He calls you to follow Him, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and become a missionary disciple....
The Word of God, Fr. Gilles' Homily, Prayers, and sharing by Danny, Kaytlin, & Grace MP3 version
Memories shared by Kaytlin, Grace, and Danny PDF file
(Grace Lavigne)
Celebration of life
Dear Grandma and Grandpa,
I cry because you have passed away, but I smile because we lived a great life together. Today is
a very special day because all I can think of is you.
A few weeks ago on your anniversary, we took out your old projector and we watched pictures
of you. It made me feel good to see all of your memories.
Grandma, you were so smart, kind and creative. You made me a baby blanket, which is still my favorite blanket. I would love spending time with you while you would knit.
Grandpa, we used to walk to the park together and go on the swings. Once you surprised us with a cool Lego set and every time after it would be on the same shelf. I loved when you lived with us and we would come home from school, you would ask us how our day was and would tell you all about it.
What I miss the most is every Father’s Day we would get your favorite meal, which is lobster and you taught me to crack open the shell. Grandma didn't like lobster, so we would make her chicken Alfredo which made me happy because I would eat it too.
Grandma and Grandpa, I know that you are safe and happy together now. I know you are not in pain and you are running free in heaven. I think about when you were young and healthy and I believe that is how you are spending your days together. I love you both with all my heart.
I have a little video for you guys –
love you so much –
love, Grace
(Kaytlin Lavigne)
Grandma and Grandpa were the most amazing and
incredible people in the world. They would make me laugh and smile all the
time.
Grandpa would tell me thousands of stories about him when he was younger. I remember when I came home one day from school when grandpa was living with us, he told me the story about how he met grandma in a bar. He told me how he would take the train from New Brunswick to Quebec on Christmas eve and sing Christmas carols with people on the train.
One time we went to visit grandma in the hospital and we brought a bunch of nail polishes and we let her choose her favourite colour and she pointed out this really pretty purple and I painted her nails for her.
When they lived in the house in Pierrefonds, we would always go on the deck swing. It was our favourite thing. Grandpa would go on with us and make us go really high until we hit the back of the deck railing. While we were doing that grandma would make us kraft dinner or butter and salt pasta.
They had a bird house and we would watch the birds go in and out grabbing the seeds. There was a park down the road we used to go to and there was this one time when we were pretty young but old enough to remember.
We saw a guy with his dog and the dog was so cute, his name was PK. We turned around for literally one second and grandma started swearing. PK peed on grandma's shoe. We all started to kill ourselves laughing. That was probably one of my favourite memories. Now to this day we all sing PK peed on grandma's shoe.
Grandpa and Grandma spent so much time with us. They would help mama and Dada with the house. Grandma would help with the gardening and grandpa would help with the building. Grandpa loved Tim Hortons, every time we slept over, we would drive to go get Tim’s. Every Christmas we would get him a gift card and he would always order a coffee and an egg sandwich.
Grandma loves
chicken alfredo pasta and whenever we asked for mama to make it, she always
does and it reminds us of grandma. It makes me feel better to know that they
are together now. I love them with all my heart and I know Grandpa and Grandma
are still looking over dada, mama, me Liam and grace. We will always be a
family!
(Danny Lavigne)
Hi guys thank you for being here
with us it means everything in world to me. All of us here today have different
beliefs and our own thoughts but one thing we all have in common is life and
death. I’ve learned that every day after their passing is hard, but remembering
all of the good times we all spent with them makes it a little easier.
As a child, you look at your parents as your teachers, the ones you look to for comfort and support love and guidance. I looked to my parents for everything and they were there for whatever I needed, all their attention, time and love because they knew that's what counted the most.
Time, the one thing you can't get enough of but they showed me that if you fill that time up with love it will last forever. As a little boy it felt like time stood still, because it was filled with road trips, sports bike rides and summers at Thorndale pool. It didn't matter what we did, we were together. It was the three of us and that's all I needed.
As an only child some People would say oh you must have been spoiled. and I was, not in the sense of material things but with love and attention because I didn't get whatever I wanted, they taught me at a very young age that if I wanted something that I would have to work for it, so dad helped me build a trailer for my bike to pull the mower and mom helped me get contracts from her friends in the neighborhood. Because of their love and support I worked hard and was the richest self made 9-year-old around.
Lois and Bernie were the kindest, most loving parents I could have ever asked for. The both of them Hard working and driven to never give up on a better life and to be better people. I understood why they worked so hard; it meant I was loved and everything they did as husband and wife and as parents they did for our family.
I was lucky to have two people in this world who would love me that much, no matter what. Lois never shied away from being there for others who needed support in one way or another, or to call them out as needed with her favorite saying “what the flip". As her son, I feel like I grew up with the most incredible role model who taught me to be kind, be myself and to always try to be a better person. With Kaytlin, Liam, Grace whom she loved more than anything else in this world. Lois would come to the house and right away grab a baby and smother them with kisses and squeezes, playing with them and making them laugh. Our kids made her love life that much more.
Mom was a good gardener, that's one of the things she took pride in. Her garden was always looking great and well manicured. So, when she came to the house and saw a weed growing in the path or flowers, she would pick it! Lois's blankets. She would spend hours night, after night, making one for everyone she knew, it showed how much she cared for them.
Sheila you were the daughter she never got to have. They both loved you as you were their own and were so proud of the strong woman that you are. I remember when you and my mom first met, Sheila was giving me a lift to school every day and during those first few weeks getting home I would shop talk with dad, but mom more importantly wanted to know about the girl in the car.
I explained how nice Sheila was and how every day was a good day working with her on projects in class. So, one of those first few days, way before we were even dating, Lois wanted to meet; so, she had Sheila out of the car, with a big smile holding her by the arms in true fashion, the hugs and touching of your face and hair turning saying to me! “oh my god she's so beautiful" not embarrassing at all! Mom looking at me then looking at you, and back to me with a smile as if to say don't fudge this up I love her!
Lois was a strong woman who was never scared of hard work, her determination and strength she took with her everywhere especially in sickness, whether it was brain surgery, strokes or car accidents she took one step at a time and worked her way back to health or as close as humanly possible. I will miss her smile, her laugh, her incredibly loud whistle you can hear a mile away when she wanted me home from the park. My Dad the love of her life was there with her throughout every good and bad day.
Dad From Bathurst New Brunswick. The most beautiful country town, but due to the pulp and paper factory it smelled like rotten eggs and cabbage, I missed it the second we pulled out in our old car down Lavigne Street every single time we had to leave to come back home. I loved seeing my Dad; when we were there in the summer, he was an outdoorsman, he knew exactly what to do, where to find it, how to make it, how to fix it or how to catch it. He was my MacGyver.
He was also a great carpenter, building furniture for anyone and everyone, from complicated rocking chairs to folding tables, he even built the tabernacle at church to store the Eucharist, nothing was too hard for him to create. He would read books and magazines to educate himself on techniques and then build something new like he's done it 100 times before and of course with attention to detail. But his favorite creation was what he called the Newfie tambourine. It took quite a few beers to build that masterpiece. I'm sure a few of you have seen him in action or have tried to play it. Once he started it was hard to get him off and the party was going.
One thing I know is that my dad had a good life with a wife who love him and a family who adored him, a son who looked up to him and was always proud to call him my Dad. So, in their vows they said till death do us part. In death they did part, but not for long as I believe they couldn't live without one another. I know all of us will miss them. So, after all Bernie and Lois made good time, the life they created together with that little bit of time, they created a whole lot of love that will never be forgotten. Thank you again for being her today to honor them. They loved all of you and their memory will live on in all of us.
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Prayers at the Graveside - Final prayers and Commendation - MP3 File
Poem by Bede Jarrett - "We Give Them Back to You O Lord"
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© 2006-2022 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC © 2006-2022 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
