Sept. 5, 1941 – Oct. 1, 2023
Dad (Pepere) passed peacefully on October 1st in the evening, as he wished. He is now reunited with the love of his life.
As a man of few words, he touched the lives of so many with his way of being. He was a man who showed his love by doing whatever he could to make a positive impact on our lives. He would spend countless hours transforming our backyard into a hockey rink that drew in the neighbourhood kids and build furniture for others for less than the cost of material—that was his way, and he taught us that.
Dad also did this for his community. The Saturday mornings were spent picking up kids who needed rides to hockey, standing behind the bench, urging us to skate hard and play smarter, and then transitioning to the stands to cheer on the Grand-Girls. Always making sure his voice could be heard, always encouraging. He always showed up in our lives. Even if he wasn’t a fan of the activity, he was a fan of his family. The time he spent with us will be remembered fondly and will forever impact how we live our lives.
To our family, his sons Robin and Tim, the daughter-in-law’s Pauline, Connie, and Mikki, and his pride and joy, the Granddaughters, Allison, Sarah, Kia, and Kaydan, and Allison’s partner Chad. He will be dearly missed.
To our extended family, Uncle Claudie had a spot in his heart for all the Aunts, Uncles and Cousins; he cherished all of you too. The holiday dinners we shared, the fireworks, the tobogganing—it didn’t matter; he enjoyed the time together.
He was a man who made friends wherever he went, and all of them were held dear to his heart, Barry Krietz for all those lunch dates and Alan and Jan Green for being great neighbours even when they were an ocean away.
The family would like to thank those who helped care for him:
Kim, his nurse in the St. Boniface Hospital Step-down Unit, and all the other Doctors, Nurses and Staff who made his final days comfortable
Massoud Horriat, the Pharmacist in St. Adolphe, always made time to review his medication and advocated with the Doctors when it needed reviewing.
Farwell Dad, Pepere, Claude you will be missed, and your memory will be cherished.
4 thoughts on “Claude George Andre Joseph Grouette”
I first met Claude when I was around 12 years old I guess he volunteered to coach hockey at St. Norbert CC. I couldn’t skate so he told me I was the goalie and I played goalie till I was 50. When the Jaycees were starting up in St. Adolphe we were having a meeting and we needed 1 more guy so Andy Delorme said I know a guy so he went to pick him up I’m sure it took some convincing because when came down the stairs at the hotel we heard the blue language we knew who the guy was , I think he was a member till the very end. Alice and I looked forward to his visits to the store for his Lotto tickets. Claude and Pauline were good friends both will be missed . R.I.P
Hi Dave & Alice,
Thank you for sharing your memories.
Tim Grouette
Claude’s obituary is beautifully written. It is accurate in every detail. He was a wonderful man.
Claude and Pauline were not just neighbors and very close friends, they were also family to us. Very shortly after arriving in St Adolphe they invited us for coffee that led to four years as extended members of the Grouette and Lapointe clans. We attended every Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve and numerous other celebrations of the two families. We were together at what may have been Elvis Presley’s last concert and then joined them on a terrific vacation in Florida. One of the most memorable evenings of our lives involved getting thoroughly drunk on an average of two bottles of wine per person at the annual Festival de Voyageur, which was run by the local chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous. It was the first and last time that Janet was in such a state.
I can attest to Claude’s generosity in building: he and Pauline’s uncle built the robust wooden steps that led from our balcony to the garden and I was his assistant when he built the huge garden shed (more like a small Scandinavian house) in our back yard, which is still standing, 45 years later.
Our friendship with Claude and Pauline did not end when we moved from St Adolphe, first to Ottawa and then to Switzerland. We visited them on numerous occasions and they joined us for another fabulous holiday, this time in Europe (England, France, Spain and Switzerland).
We have fantastic memories of our time with Claude and Pauline.
Fortunately, Claude and Pauline are still “with us” through the lives of their two sons and their families. We often think of the incredibly well-behaved and polite Robin and Tim playing in their back garden. It was seeing such a happy family that influenced us to eventually start our own family.
Alan and Janet Green
Dear Alan & Janet Green,
Thank you for sharing your love and experience of Mom and Dad. Your friendship was and continues to be deeply cherished.
Tim Grouette