August 27, 1953 – August 08, 2022
It is with great sadness that the family of André Lafrenière announces his peaceful passing. He has gone home to be with his Gloria, his parents, and grandparents.
For those that knew André, and he knew a great many people as he would talk to everyone about anything, the most important thing to him was his family. As many people also know, our family is not only a blended family but also a family of the heart.
Born the second child of Alain and Rose Lafrenière, André was raised with siblings – Léon, Gilles (Joanne), Paul (Gloria) and Cécile (Bernie Lowe, dec) to have a strong sense of the importance of home, family and community. This was accomplished in many ways: weekends at the cabin, lending a hand or 10 to local farmers, church on Sundays, and community volunteering. However, the large family celebrations, attended by all who could make it, is where the strong love of extended family is rooted. Birthdays, weddings and funerals are always attended, never missing an opportunity to connect and reinforce the strength of the family.
From his family’s home to a family home of his own, André and wife Gloria (nee Baker) forged a new branch to the family tree. André worked for the Paper Mill in Pine Falls for over 35 years; we have all heard the mill stories, he had immense pride in his job but that always came second to his love of family & friends. André loved curling in both the men’s league with Puck, his best friend, and in mixed bonspiels with his wife, Gloria. In the summer, you’d find him at the baseball diamond playing Slo-Pitch with the Mill electrical crew, “Ohm-Base”.
On weekends, he would spend time with Gloria and his three girls: Chantelle (Josh), Neeks (Paul), and Bean (Adam); camping, trips to Winnipeg with the Naults, backyard bonfires, fishing or swimming at the family cabin in Hillside Beach.
Later in life, André welcomed Janice, Mat (Stephanie) and Merisa (Kyle) into his family. André delighted in teaching Janice and the kids the importance of family gatherings, the value found in extended family, and the strength to be found in community. Whether it was weekends at the cabin, family trips or visiting with extended family, the message remained consistent, its all about family.
Like oil and water, a newly blended family doesn’t always readily mix, but with time and perseverance we managed to create a rather large, loud, and loving family. A family that grew with new spouses, new “kids” and best of all grandchildren. André truly loved being a grampa and a pepere to Ashton, Hayley, Liam, Emily, Henry, James, Oliver, and Finnley. They will have great memories of pepere/grampa in the pool and ice cream on the deck.
The family has many great memories of our time together and have spent many hours reminiscing and telling André stories. We have all heard his stories of his grandparent’s farm, large family gatherings with both his father’s and mother’s families, tales of his childhood, and stories about his large family. We have also heard a great many stories of his adventures with friends, hunting, fishing, curling, and of course his time spent at fly-in fishing lodges.
André was a master story teller and a master of the art of chit chat. We invite his friends and family to stop by Great Falls Community Hall on Sunday, August 28, 2022 from 1 to 4 pm to share stories and memories of André.
In lieu of donations, André’s wish would be that you enjoy time with your loved ones.
Friends and family are invite to visit to share memories and condolences on André’s memorial page by using the comment field below.
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