GILBERT "GIL" LAURENDEAU

On January 16th with his family at his side, Gil passed away peacefully at the age of 67 after a short illness at the St. Boniface General Hospital.

He will be lovingly remembered by his wife Diane; children Danielle Laurendeau Cormier (Rick), Joel & Jean-Paul; grandsons Carter, Rémi and Éric; his siblings Irène Ledoyen, Lucien (Rita), Henriette Verrier (John), Laurette Champagne (Paul), Yolande Tallaire (Ron), Ida Bibeau (Raymond), Emile (Nancy), Marcel (Gudrun) and his sisters-in-law Lucie and Denise. His memory will also be cherished by his mother-in-law Raymonde DePape; Diane's siblings Lorraine Clark (Bruce), Jackie Schimnowski, Janet Froese, Robert Vouriot (Carlene) and Patricia Trudeau (Dino); as well as numerous Laurendeau and Vouriot nephews and nieces.

Gil was predeceased by his parents Adélard and Rita (née Beaudry); his father-in-law Léo Vouriot; his siblings Germaine Van Den Bussche (Marcel), Yvonne, Leon, Paul; brother-in-law Camille; his nephews Robert Ledoyen and Paul Verrier as well as his niece Jocelyn Trudeau.

Gil was born in Winnipeg and called St. Norbert home for his whole life. He was the baby of thirteen children and was spoiled by his parents and his older siblings. Many of Gil's stories from growing up centered around Major, his beloved dog. He loved playing with Major at his side. This love for animals continued throughout his life.

Other stories that Gil loved to tell were about his time in high school. He loved talking about his 66 Mustang. He told stories of how he worked forty hours a week for his brother-in-law Paul, at his Esso stations, while attending St. Norbert Collegiate. Near the end of his senior year (1973), Gil met Diane, who had just turned sixteen. They dated for two and a half years and in November of 1975, the lovebirds wed.

Together Gil and Diane created a cozy home on Pembina Highway and three years later, they started their family when Danielle was born (1978). They moved to Park La Salle before Joe and JP were born in 1981 and 1984 respectively. In 1990, they settled in their home in old St. Norbert where the family has grown for the past 33 years.

Gil worked in sheet metal for most of his life. He started by working for his brother Leon in 1979. By 1984, he was working out of town on a regular basis and was coming home "to visit". In 1999, he began working for Labelle's Sheet Metal and was working in town more frequently. Gil finished his career working at Quality Air Control as a quality control officer. He retired in January 2020 and kept himself busy by being everyone's "go-to" person. When friends or family needed something done, he was always there to help. Gil helped with everything from giving advice, to helping with repairs, and working on various renos. His retirement was also a blessing for Diane, who not only got to spend more time with her best friend, but also had her coffee made and served to her every morning.  

Gil's life was rich and filled with great happiness. Nothing brought him greater pleasure than being surrounded by his loved ones and talking about his family. He loved the weekly family dinners, numerous family gatherings with the extended family, visiting with close friends, but most of all spending time with his best friend, Diane. Gil was very proud to be a grandpa to his three grandsons. He cherished spending time with them, teaching them to play chess and talking about anything and everything. He was especially grateful for this time with them after being away so much for work while his kids were growing up.

Gil's favourite pastime was sitting outside in his gliding rocking chair, under his maple tree. Over the years, he came to love gardening in his backyard. While gardening, you could usually hear him whistling or humming away, just like when he worked around the house. Many, many hours were spent outside with his plants, visiting with the people that he loved most in this world and listening to his favourite tunes.

We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the staff on the fifth floor of the Victoria General Hospital as well as the staff in the St. Boniface Hospital ICU. Your kindness, compassion and care meant the world to us through this difficult time.

In lieu of flowers, Gil's family asks that people perform selfless acts of kindness for others, without expecting anything in return. This is exactly how Gil loved to take care of his friends and family and it is a wonderful way of keeping his spirit alive.

Rest in peace, Gil. We miss you dearly and will love you forever.

In accordance with his wishes, cremation has taken place and a private celebration of his life will take place at a later date.

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ETHICAL DEATH CARE

Cremation & Life Celebrations

530 St. Mary Avenue - Winnipeg

204-421-5501 - www.ethicaldeathcare.com

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