
Wilfrid Chatel

WILFRID "JOE" CHATEL
November 28, 1931 – September 7, 2024
With heavy hearts, we announce that Wilfrid passed away on September 7, 2024 at the age of 92 surrounded by his family.
He is survived by his wife of 65 years Mavis; children, Debbie, Glen (Shelley), and Audrey (Kenny); grandson Chris; great granddaughters, Cynthia and Alexandra; sister Denise (Pete); his childhood friend Gilbert; and extended family and friends.
He was predeceased by his parents, Alexander and Albertine; his brothers, Clovis, Edward, and Marcel; and his sisters, Alexina, Rachel, and Leona.
How do you summarize 92 years of life into a few paragraphs except to say that it was a life well lived.
He was a husband, a father, grandfather, great grandfather, brother, uncle and a friend.
Dad was born and raised in Woodridge, Manitoba, one of eight children. He was given the nickname Joe early in life and that is how most people knew him.
It was in Woodridge that he met and married my Mom in 1958. Except for a short stint in Winnipeg, my parents lived their entire lives in Woodridge. He was so proud of us when we were born and had no problem feeding and changing diapers even though that was not the norm at the time.
My Dad was a hard-working man who spent the majority of his life cutting wood in Woodridge. He took a meat cutting course at Red River and after working in the bush all day, he would cut meat in the evening. After he got hurt working in the bush, he started working in the construction industry where he got hurt again and decided that it was sign and time to retire.
Dad was not one to sit idle though. He was always working on something in his garage, his boat, his tractor, his snow blower, his old red truck or fixing something for someone else. His garage was filled to the rafters of all kinds of stuff, tools, metal, machinery, nails, you name it. We lovingly called him a pack rat but he would proudly claim that whenever anybody in town wanted something, they came to him because he had it in his garage. His stuff was not junk but treasure in his mind.
He would often be seen out in the front yard in the summer gopher hunting with his side kick Popcorn (his dog), a hose and a pellet gun. My Aunt Alexina gave him the name, Elmer Fudd.
Dad was a very sociable guy. He loved talking to people over a cup of coffee and spending time with family and friends. He liked playing cards and board games and spent a lot of time playing Scrabble with my sister and playing Crazy Eights with his grandson, Chris. He taught me how to play cribbage and we spent many hours playing cribbage when I was growing up. We spent many Saturday nights as a family playing cards with both my Mom and Dad. Those were times that he treasured, spending time with his family.
Dad liked a good joke and playing tricks on people but not so much being the recipient. My sister told me about a plant that Dad had hanging by the gazebo. It was literally a stick with one leaf but Dad was convinced he could revive it with Miracle Grow. She swapped out the plant one day with a new bushy one full of flowers. She asked Dad how his plant was doing and he said “Good, I just gave it some Miracle Grow.” She said “We should go out and see it.” When he rounded the corner, my sister said his eyes got big and he said “Wow, does that Miracle Grow ever work good.” She confessed a few minutes later and he made her put his old plant back up.
We will remember Dad coming into our bedrooms on Sunday morning yelling “daylight in the swamp” to get us kids up for church. The later we stayed out Saturday night, the earlier he came in. Dad rarely missed going to church on Sunday.
Dad spent a lot of time with his brother, Marcel. Both of them were partially deaf and we could hear them talking on the phone, neither hearing the other and having two entirely different conversations. After hanging up, each of them complained that the other was deaf and could not hear. Both brothers could be seen driving to Steinbach twice a week to have lunch at Smitty’s.
One of Dad’s biggest passions was playing the fiddle. In his younger days, he taught himself how to play the guitar and fiddle by ear. Once he retired, he taught himself how to read music and we could hear him playing his fiddle in the basement for hours. I remember many Saturday nights while lying in bed, listening to my Dad singing and playing with family and friends.
His other passion was for fishing and he especially loved fishing with my brother. When he was unable to fish anymore, he looked forward to my brother frying up some fresh pickerel for him which was one of his favorite meals. He also enjoyed prairie chicken hunting with my brother in the fall.
Dad was a Blue Jays fan and rarely missed a game. However, he was only a fan when they were winning! He also enjoyed going to bingo, the casino and horse races with his family.
Dad could not pass up fast food, especially hamburgers and french fries. My parents moved to Winnipeg in 2021 and that meant that Dad was now in fast food heaven. My brother and I delivered many a hamburger meal to Dad with an occasional Popeye’s chicken meal thrown in. He enjoyed hanging out with my brother and every outing included a hamburger. My Dad loved eating out but my brother said he was the only guy who would order a hamburger in a restaurant and then eat it with a fork and knife. Each to their own, I guess!
Growing up, my Dad always had to have dessert. My Mom was continually baking pies, cakes and cookies and other desserts for my Dad. I took over that role several years ago and loved making all kinds of desserts for him. His favorite was butterscotch pie and anything with blueberries. When my parents moved to Winnipeg, my Aunty Denise also got into the fun of baking for my Dad.
If you looked up the word impatient in the dictionary, you would find Dad’s picture. When he was ready to go, he got up and went no matter where he was or who he was with. My parents came for holiday dinners at my home and when Dad started to get hungry and he thought I didn’t have dinner on the table fast enough, he would quietly come sit at the table by himself, waiting for dinner to be served. However, he always claimed that he was a patient guy but we knew better.
When he got his first computer and cell phone, my brother became tech support. It was not unusual to hear them arguing about whether my Dad pressed a button to cause an issue, my brother insisting that he must have pressed a button and my Dad insisting that he did not. My Dad was like a dog with a bone when he had something in his head and he thought he was right. My brother’s patience was tested with my Dad’s flight simulator and his riding lawn mower both of which were not working “according” to my Dad. My Dad would send my brother texts for weeks and sometime months on the same issue until it was resolved to his satisfaction.
Dad loved his grandson and great granddaughters and always looked forward to them visiting. When Chris was a child, my Dad accidentally drilled a hole in his finger while he was helping him fix his boat. He said that he will forever have a scar and a unique fingerprint to remember his Grandpa by. Dad also delayed his Father’s Day dinner one year until his great granddaughters, Cynthia and Alexandra, were visiting so he could share it with them.
One of my fondest childhood memories of my Dad is when he went to get my cat down from a pole in the middle of the night. I was always a cat lover and always had a cat growing up and was crying in bed one night as I listened to my cat meowing in distress. When I was not comforted by the fact that she would come down on her own, my Dad went outside, got a ladder and climbed up the pole to retrieve my cat and put her in my arms. That is love!
What we will remember most is that Dad was a hard-working man who loved his family and was so very proud of each of his kids. He played with us, read to us, taught us right from wrong, taught us to respect others and the value of hard work. He was witty and had a phenomenal sense of humour and we will never forget this mischievous smile. Each of us kids inherited our sense of humour from him.
We know how lucky we were and are grateful for how long we had him in our lives. All this means is that we will miss him that much more. When Dad first got a cell phone, he would spend every morning sending text messages to all the people he loved. He used to text three lines every day, Good morning, I love you. Have a good day. As his eyesight deteriorated, we would all get a jumble of random letter strung together that was near impossible to decipher but in the end, we knew he was saying, Good morning. I love you. Have a good day. He told us he loved us every time we saw him.
I want to end with this. The reminders of those we have loved and lost is everywhere. You just have to keep your eyes open and look around. As long as you truly believe their presence is still with you, no one is really gone. Dad, we feel your presence all around us and we know you are still with us. To live in the hearts of those we love, is not to die. Rest in Peace, Dad.
In memory of Dad, donations can be made to Cancer Care Manitoba or a charity of your choice.
The family would like to express our gratitude to the staff at St. Boniface Hospital on 4E, the Family Medicine unit, who took such good care of Dad for the months that he was there. He was treated with such kindness and compassion. We would also like to thank Park Manor for their kindness and compassion. Although he was not there for very long, their kindness shone through in their care for him.
Wilfrid’s family kindly requests that all of his friends and relatives take a few minutes to honour his memory by sharing photos, memories, and stories, using the comment section on this page.
In Accordance with Dad’s wishes, cremation has taken place and no formal service will be held.
When Tomorrow Starts Without Me
by David M. Romano
When tomorrow starts without me
And I’m not here to see
If the sun should rise and find your eyes
All filled with tears for me
I wish you wouldn’t cry
The way you did today
While thinking of the many things
We didn’t get to say
I know how much you love me
As much as I love you
Each time that you think of me
I know you’ll miss me too
When tomorrow starts without me
Please try to understand
That an angel came and called my name
And took me by the hand
The angel said my place was ready
In Heaven far above
And That I would have to leave behind
All those I dearly love
But when I walked through Heaven’s Gates
I felt so much at home
When GOD looked down and smiled at me
From his golden throne
He said This Is Eternity
And all I promised you
Today your life on earth is done
But here it starts a new
I promise no tomorrow
For today will always last
And since each day’s the exact same way
There is no longing for the past
So when tomorrow starts without me
Do not think we’re apart
For every time you think of me
Remember I’m right here in your heart.
ETHICAL DEATH CARE
Cremation & Life Celebrations
530 St. Mary Avenue - Winnipeg
204-421-5501 - www.ethicaldeathcare.com
Memories, Stories and Condolences
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Dan & Janette Letkeman
October 4, 2024 at 4:05 PM
Our Condolences to the family!
Beautiful elegy about Uncle Joe

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