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Obituary of IRENE MARIE ANNA BOULET
IRENE MARIE ANNA BOULET
(née VACHON)
April 26, 1934 – June 15, 2025
Peacefully, with family at her side, Irène Marie Anna Boulet (née Vachon) passed away June 15, 2025, at the Foyer Notre Dame, at the age of 91.
She will be lovingly remembered by her children: Hélène Boulet, Stella Denysuik (Brian), Charles Boulet (Debbie), Rita Boisvert (Maurice); her grandchildren: Aaron, Joel, Lianne (René), Mathieu (Katie), Katie, Josée (Christian), Daniel; and great-grand children: William, Lila, Isabelle and Rémi.
Irène leaves behind sisters (Thérèse, Jeanne, Cécile, Marie-Ange and Helen), brothers (Eugène, Gérard and Marcel), in-laws, numerous nieces and nephews, as well as friends.
She was predeceased by her loving husband Arthur, her infant son Louis, as well as siblings (infant brother Louis, Denis, Jean, Annette, and Alice).
Funeral Service Saturday, June 28, 2025. Eulogy starting at 10:30 a.m., followed by Mass, St. Norbert Catholic Church, 70 St. Pierre Street, Winnipeg, MB.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Diabetes Canada.
Eulogy June 28, 2025
A Life Woven with Love and Laughter
We gather today to celebrate the extraordinary life of Irène, a sister, an aunt and friend, a beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. A life woven with threads of resilience, devotion, laughter and unwavering love, deeply rooted in faith and family.
Merci beaucoup de vous joindre à nous aujourd'hui pour cette belle celebration.
Irène’s story began as the fifth of fourteen children, lovingly raised on the Vachon farm in Oak Lake, Manitoba. It was a home shaped by her father, Albert Vachon - a man known for his strictness but profound devotion to his family – and her mother, Bernadette Labelle, whom Irène herself described countless times as having "the patience of an angel”. This foundation instilled in her the good virtues that would define her life.
As a child, it sounds like Irène was often up to something…like when she climbed the windmill at a very young age, for the simple fact that she saw her dad do it. Or, when she put her knitted tam on the head of a calf. It was funny until the calf got it off its head and started chewing it, then she had a heck of a time trying to get it out of its mouth… I wonder how she explained to her mom how her tam got full of holes.
Then came the profound turning point in 1951. When Irène was just seventeen, the family lost their beloved mother, Bernadette. The Vachon family, known for pulling together like no other, faced this immense grief with courage. Her older sister, Jeanne, delayed her wedding by a year to care for the family. And then it was Irène’s turn. For the next five years, she stepped into the immense void left by her mother. She lovingly attended to her younger siblings – the three youngest were 5, just under 3, and the baby, 10 months old. She prepared the meals, managed the household, and did her best, day by day, to ease the pain of their loss. She often spoke of having a good understanding with her father during this time, a bond that helped soften the edges of their shared grief.
Irène’s siblings have described her as being strong in character, patient and kind, a hard worker, well organized, with talents that ranged from her culinary skills, gardening, canning, and managing a busy household. When she spoke of those years she would always finish with, “and I don’t regret it for one minute.”
Irène often talked about how she met the man that would become her beloved husband. Through Arthur’s cousin, Adrien Bisson, he learned of the large Vachon family in Oak Lake. One day, Irène spotted a man talking to her father, Pépère
Vachon, out in the yard. Unfortunately, Arthur's little chat with Pépère Vachon
didn't go so well, because Pépère told him, “mes poulets sont trop jeunes!” (My chicks are too young!). Arthur was patient and persistent, as he returned four years later in 1956 to court Irène until he proposed on Christmas Eve of that year.
They married on June 1, 1957. Even then, Pépère Vachon tried to warn Arthur that Irène might occasionally get a little feisty. Arthur's witty response? “I’ll just toss my hat in the house, if the hat doesn’t come back, I’ll know it’s ok to go in.”
A partnership built on love, humour, and understanding was born.
Life on the farm with Arthur brought its own rhythms and adventures. Irène was well-prepared for farm life, though perhaps not entirely for her new husband's punctuality – a contrast to the more flexible "Vachon time" she was accustomed to, where noon didn’t always mean 12 o’clock sharp!
She embraced driving with gusto. Back then, many farmer's wives simply had their husbands request a license at the municipal office. People from town grew accustomed to seeing clouds of dust signaling Irène’s approach from miles away. Her true driving test came later when she needed her chauffeur's license for the school bus. Part way up a good-sized hill, the examiner nervously suggested she slow down. Her reply? “Well, I had to make sure I got to the top of the hill!”
Mémère always had a huge vegetable garden. Anyone with a garden would
understand that weeds don’t take care of themselves. Mémère had the perfect solution; anytime her children had a little tiff, they were sent out to weed the garden. The rows were so long, the task seemed quite daunting, so there was ample time for the siblings to work things out. Well, that proved to be so therapeutic, that most of them are avid gardeners today.
Mémère froze and canned – about 1000 quarts each summer – to last the entire year, and then some. True to her motto, “waste not, want not,” older vegetables were always fed to the pigs, but one summer even the fermented remnants of her dandelion wine found their way to the pigs. In no time at all, there were tipsy pigs staggering around the pasture before collapsing for a nap – much to Pépère’s (eventual) amusement.
We can’t forget how much Mémère LOVED to pick strawberries. She would pick them for herself as well others, and she was VERY competitive, especially when she was picking with one of her older sisters; she made sure she picked more than her!
Mémère was a very talented seamstress. When there was money to buy fabric, she crafted beautiful matching Easter and Christmas dresses for her daughters, Hélène
and Stella, and the occasional dress for herself. Hand-me-downs were transformed into custom-fit garments with her skilled alterations. She even fashioned a perfect little brown suit for her young son, Charlie, from her brother-in-law Come’s old suit, ensuring he looked his best for church and holidays.
She used this talent for many years, while she held the lead position in the linen room at Victoria Hospital, stitched dance costumes, repaired many garments for family members, the most being, jeans for her son-in-law Maurice. Even years after her retirement, she repaired clothing for the Oblate Fathers at Villa Maria in St Norbert.
In 1972, the family moved to St. Norbert. Mémère’s favourite pastime by far was dancing the night away with Pépère. Their dancing had started on the farm at Christmas time and flourished in the city, becoming a cherished weekend and at time’s a midweek ritual for years. Irène and Arthur lived that joy on the dance floor.
As her children grew, her nurturing heart expanded but never wavered. Her heart was kind and generous. Her tenderness kept us from feeling alone.
Throughout all these seasons, Mom was our anchor and our comfort. On quiet winter evenings, watching Red Skelton, there was no place more comforting than beside Mom. She was also ready to talk through any problem with patience and seriousness, helping us find a resolution, a legacy of her own upbringing.
When Hélène, the oldest, moved out, Mémère insisted on continuing Sunday family dinners. The mid-week phone call became ritual: “You’re coming for supper on Sunday, right?” The answer, always was “Yes Mom, I’ll be there.”
Her love overcame even her fears. Despite telling Arthur she never wanted to fly – unsure how planes stayed in the air — that all changed when Hélène moved to Vancouver, and she declared, “We are flying to Vancouver.” It was the first several trips, fueled by a mother's love.
Mémère had a fun-loving and adventurous nature. At times it was difficult to
determine her biological age as she had such “joie de vivre”. Not only would her children agree but the staff at Foyer Notre Dame loved how she was feisty, and she was playfully described as a “spitfire”.
She didn't just watch life; she participated – right alongside her grandchildren. Her children recall her saying many times “you love your children, but you REALLY love your grandchildren”.
Aaron’s memories (grandson): I remember the sleepovers at her place. Playing card games like Rummoli, trying new foods like pop tarts and toaster strudels, and then of course begging my mom to also buy these. There was always something baked fresh like bread, cinnamon buns, or cookies.
Another core memory would be the epic Christmas dinners hosted by her and Pépère. There were a lot of people, a lot of food and a lot of laughs. It was loud, chaotic and a lot of fun. And, I’ve been told that back in the day, a typical Christmas Eve on the Vachon farm, would exceed 40 around the table.
Lianne’s memories (granddaughter): My love for playing cards, which still rings true today, started with Mémère. She taught me how to play bataille (war), golf, and
31. I have many fond memories playing cards with Mémère and Pépère. She was very patient whenever she taught me new card games. One particular Sunday
dinner, we were celebrating Mémère’s birthday. When I finished my plate, I snuck under the dining room table to tickle Mémère. In no time, Mémère joined me under the table and they both had a blast.
Mathieu’s memory (grandson): I feel truly privileged to have had Mémère attend my wedding 2.5 years ago. My wife and I still talk about how she was wearing a fiery red dress that suited her personality and would have caught the eye of everyone in the room. I love how she was able to dance and celebrate the day with us, but a truly special moment for me was when we shared a dance together. She told me then that her and Pépère used to go dancing and how she missed it, causing me to feel honoured to fill that void and be her partner. I can still remember the way she smiled and laughed while we were dancing, and I will cherish that moment forever.
Katie’s memories (granddaughter): Mémère was always so full of energy. She would bounce her legs on the couch if she had been sitting for too long. She even joined Mathieu and I, on the trampoline!
At times, she'd get up at 3 or 4 in the morning to make several dozens of perogies, which were a favourite for so many of us, and definitely mine! With her well stocked pantry and bountiful garden, she would always welcome any of us for a meal.
Mémère showed up! She was there at every one of my dance recitals, my graduation, including helping me get set up with her hairdresser to style my hair.
When my parents went on one of their trips, Mémère and Pépère came to stay with us - she would sit with Mathieu and I, while we had breakfast. We took everything
out, ate at the table with her, put it all away and finished getting ready for school. I later learned that she would wait until we were on the school bus before she'd take out all the breakfast stuff again for her and Pépère, not wanting to disrupt our routine.
Josée’s memories (granddaughter): I had special times with Mémère and Pépère since they cared for me while my Mom still worked part time in Winnipeg. I remember Mémère telling me that I would barely have my eyes open in the morning, and both of my grandparents were eagerly waiting to pick me up.
Weather permitting, they made the trip to Notre Dame for visits, as often as they could. I had a little tent filled with plastic balls. Mémère had a lot of fun throwing the balls around to make me laugh; and, when she was pulling me in a cardboard box around the house, I would say “plus vite Mémère!” (Faster!).
Daniel’s memories (grandson): Josée and I were taught by our parents, whenever we were at Mémère and Pépère’s, it wasn’t polite to ask for things, we could only ask for water if we were thirsty. One summer day Mémère and Pépère were babysitting Josée and I. I knew that the freezer was well stocked with ice cream and my favourite treat — ice cream sandwiches. So, without “asking” I said to
Mémère — “mon ventre a chaud” (my stomach is hot), so it didn’t take long for Mémère to catch on and ask me if an ice cream sandwich would help, because there’s nothing worse than having a hot stomach at 10 o’clock in the morning!
Her greatest act of love extended beyond our sight. Every day, without fail, she prayed for us. Her prayers were a constant whisper of love meant to ensure we never felt truly alone or afraid, no matter the distance. That was the depth of her devotion.
Grape, Mémère, Mum, as we say goodbye for now, you will be missed but forever be in our hearts — your laughter and “joie de vivre” never forgotten.
With gracious hearts — we give thanks. Thanks for your strength, forged young and becoming our foundation. Thanks for your hands that sewed our clothes, canned thousands of jars, held us close, and steered that bus with determination. Thanks for your heart that loved us fiercely, prayed for us faithfully, danced with joy, teased with affection, and taught us to live with integrity and laughter. Thanks for showing us that even after profound loss, a life filled with love and service is possible.
We can picture you now, dancing with angels, perhaps playfully teasing the saints. Your faithfulness echoes in the lives you nurtured and the love that surrounds us.
Your legacy is woven into the fabric of our characters, the love we show our families, the faith you instilled, and the laughter that still rings out when we remember the staggering pigs, and so many other moments. You ran your race with love, energy, devotion, and an abundance of grace, all while having a positive outlook on life.
Well done Mémère.
Rest now in the eternal peace and joy of your Savior, reunited with your beloved husband and your angelic mother, and many loved ones who passed before you. We love you, Mum, Mémère, Grape.
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