JOSEPH MICHEL
LAURÉAT LEVASSEUR

With heavy hearts, we announce that Michel passed away on June 19, 2024 in Grace Hospital at the age of 76.

He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Wendy; children Paul (Kristie), Mark (Hillie) and Daniel; grandchildren Jeremiah, Jessica, Emil and Elisa; sister Celine (Yves); nephews, nieces, extended families, and good friends.

Michel (Lauréat to his Quebec family) was born the fifth of seven siblings in Trois-Rivières to Rosaire and Cécile Levasseur on September 16, 1947. These were the days of ice boxes for a fridge and woodstoves, wringer washers and clothes lines, door-to-door delivery milkmen and bread men. The family never had a car while he grew up.

In his early years, the family moved to Cap-de-la-Madeleine. One day, as a five year old he decided to see his uncle in Trois-Rivières so off he went. He was crossing the big bridge between the two towns when a police car caught up with him and took him back home again. As a youngster, Michel was given a wide territory to explore where he set loop traps to catch rabbits and went diving off the log booms on the river.  One time, he got swept under a log boom but he didn’t panic. Feeling the direction of the logs he managed to work his way back to the edge and to safety.

When colour televisions were a thing, his siblings and he had early morning newspaper routes pooling their earnings together to buy their family’s first colour TV. He said that as he walked on his route, he looked longingly at those dark homes with half closed eyes wishing he was still in bed. 

As a young teenager, Michel joined the cadets. Eventually, at age 19, he decided to join the Canadian Armed Forces because he wasn’t interested in working in mills or factories. He did his basic training in Cornwallis, NS, and after an aptitude test he was encouraged to go into the meteorological technician trade in the Navy. That is ... weather forecasting. He sailed on the HMCS Bonaventure, the HMCS Qu’Appelle, and the HMCS Ottawa. He really loved the weather trade, and eventually went to a land base. It was while he was posted in Victoria, BC, that he met Wendy Ratcliffe through a mutual friend and they married on May 18, 1974.  Postings included CF Bases Trenton, Halifax, Comox, and Cold Lake which made them well rounded Canadians.  During that time, their three sons, Paul, Mark, and Daniel were born.  

Retirement from the military came along in 1999, during Michel’s posting in Winnipeg. He became a ‘civilian’ and worked in Southport (Portage la Prairie, MB) still in his weather trade. He retired a second time in 2012 and yet a couple of years later did some temporary work for 24 months and then 6 months during the pandemic. Finally, he was really retired but very satisfied.

Michel’s life wasn’t all focused on work. He had many interests.

His nose was always in the Bible or various Christian books. His spiritual faith and prayers empowered his family when he and Wendy became Christians. His commitment to his family was a ballast of protection and generosity. He had many enjoyments in life with technology, salmon fishing, jogging, rollerblading, swimming, boating, hiking, and going on walks. Music was a lifelong enjoyment and he would often pull out his guitar, harmonica or accordion to play. He was quite a funny man under that reserved nature and said some very amusing things – often with a straight face until you realized you were had!     

Through it all, Michel was dependable, methodical and conscientious man. He could say sorry and he was guileless. He was a good man.

The family would like to give their thanks to The Bridge Church for their love and prayer support; to Cancer Care Manitoba and the Grace Hospital for their care of Michel throughout the past year; and to Ethical Death Care for their help in this difficult time.

A celebration of his life will be held 1:30 p.m. Saturday, June 29, 2024 at The Bridge Church 620 Oxbow Bend Road, Winnipeg.

A live-steam of the service will be available on YouTube at the following link: https://youtube.com/live/UuxlHLfL23A?feature=share

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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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