Obituary of Camil Valette

BIOGRAPHY VALETTE ~ Camil Laurent Valette passed away peacefully in the Lloydminster Hospital, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan on Friday, May 20, 2011 at the age of 88 years. Camil will be sadly missed by his wife Alida; six children: Dan and Sharon, Maurice and Ferne, Gerald, Allen, Linda and Stew, Diane and Dan and all their families; fifteen grandchildren: Jason, Kurt, Steven, Cody, Shane, Clay, Jesse, Randy, Shawn, Danielle, Jayna, Lesa, Bailey, Kalli, Tara; five great grandchildren: Koltun, Madison, Mason, Riley and Jasper as well as numerous other relatives. The prayer service was conducted from the McCaw Funeral Chapel, Lloydminster, Alberta on Tuesday, May 24, 2011 at 8:30 P.M. with Brother Carlos Nunez officiating. The mass of Christian burial was conducted from the St. Anthony's Roman Catholic Church, Lloydminster, Alberta on Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 2:00 P.M. with Father Louis Fowoyo officiating. The eulogy was read by Grandson Shawn MacDonald. The readings were read by Granddaughters Jayna Valette and Danielle Topley. The singers were Ed and Aline Coulombe, Cis Nakonechny and Pat Hankey. The honorary pallbearers were his granddaughters: Danielle, Jayna, Lesa, Bailey, Kalli and Tara and great grandchildren: Koltun, Madison, Mason, Riley and Jasper. The active pallbearers were his grandsons: Jason, Kurt, Steven, Cody, Shane, Clay, Jesse, Randy and Shawn. The interment was held in the Lloydminster City Cemetery. McCaw Funeral Service Ltd., of Lloydminster, Alberta administered the funeral arrangements. EULOGY Hello, my name is Shawn MacDonald. I'm one of the many grandchildren of Camil Valette. Over the last few days we have spent a lot of time by Grandpa's side. As I watched him, I couldn't help but think of a quote I once heard from the English writer and historian H.G. Wells, "go away I'm alright". Those were his last words and, if my grandpa wasn't so nice, I think he would have said them as well. For as long as I can remember, there has always been a smile on his face and even in his last weeks he was still smiling, cracking jokes with nurses, and trying to arm wrestle with his kids that were at his bedside. He was happy when he left and, it seemed to me, that he didn't want any of his family or friends to worry about him. He waited until every one of his family and friends had left the room before he decided to move on. Although none of us know, it's almost as though he never wanted that to be anyone's last memory. Grandpa, I would assume you're listening from above, and I can confidently say your laughter, your kindness, and your beautiful smile have left each and every one of us with the best memories we could ask for. 88 years is never easy to fit into 5 minutes, but we will point out some of the best and some of the most significant occurrences in Camil Valette's life. In 1945, Grandpa went to work as a farm hand for Grandma's dad, Louis Laventure. Little did he know, he was going to steal the farmer's daughter and keep her for the next 64 years. Well, over those next 64 years, Grandpa and Grandma would call each other husband and wife, as well as best friends. Although I didn't see how they looked at each other on day one, I hope it was the same way they looked at each other the last few weeks. Love may always go through its ups and downs but to see the way Grandpa and Grandma interacted in these last few weeks was something very special. Two minutes would not pass without Grandpa looking over to make sure she was doing ok and he sure did not let go of her hand for long if ever. Grandpa was a relatively unemotional guy but the emotions he displayed over the last few weeks were a beautiful thing to see. Whenever Grandma would say I love you he would not hesitate to kiss her and use every bit of his energy to say I love you too. He was a loving dad to what have become six very amazing children. First came Dan then Maurice then his first girl Linda. After this came Gerald then Allen and finally in 1962, Diane was brought along as the last addition to the family. Whether Grandpa was giving tough love to his four boys or letting his two girls wrap him around their little fingers, he was always doing it with love and making sure the correct lessons were being taught. Grandpa lived a great life but that's not to say it was without trials and tribulations. At a young age he lost his mom and not long after he lost his dad as well. He also underwent two traumatic surgeries one being brain surgery and the other being a major surgery on his hand. Although these events made things very difficult I think it's safe to say that everyone involved in them probably learned that life can be very short and too never take it for granted. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, why is it that every time I see a picture of Grandpa the only word that comes to mind is "Happy". He will always be remembered for his numerous great attributes, but I think the one that people will remember the most is the contagious smile that he was able to infect upon everyone he met or touched. When he moved into the assisted living home he quickly acquired the nickname "Smiley". It became very evident in the last month or so that he was only content when others around him were smiling as well. There were numerous times when he would scan the room around him and make sure every one of his family members was content. It also became evident that he was not going to say goodbye until he knew all his kids and his wife were going to be ok. He was just that kind of guy. One day when he had all his kids in the room with him he looked around and with a smile he said "I did well". Those three words made it quite apparent that Grandpa was truly content with life and what he had accomplished. When someone passes away, it's a good time to share stories and celebrate their life. Grandpa always loved fishing, hunting, bowling, playing crib, horseshoes and taking trips among other things. I'm not going to go too much into detail on the hunting trips but if anyone is looking for one of Grandpa's good hunting stories, you'll have to ask Dan and Maurice about that. They can tell you about walking circles in the bush and getting a cop car wedged in between two trees. From what I've heard, Grandpa was quite the fisherman and by the sounds of it, he was a little competitive as well. Him and Uncle Stew were out fishing one day, and Grandpa was such a good fisherman that on that day, in the middle of the lake, the fish actually surrendered. As they were sitting in the boat there was a fish that decided rather than being caught, it would take the easy way out and just jump right out of the water onto the boat. If that's not a successful fishing story I'm not sure what is. His competitiveness may have come into play one day when he was fishing with John Hohne. Apparently, John caught a fish and I guess Grandpa thought he was the one who should have caught that fish. Just as John caught the fish, Grandpa decided to take off. As he sped away, John did his best to secure that fishing rod. I can't imagine John found it funny at the time, but I'm willing to bet they are laughing and sharing a couple of these stories right this moment. Cards were also a big part of Grandpa's life. I believe one of his card partners; Sam Degenhardt is in attendance today. I'm sure you can get some good stories out of him. I'm sure Gerald and Al won't forget the times when they were berry picking and Grandpa scared the ...well...berries out of them by pretending he was a bear. I'm also sure that none of them will forget how he spoiled and acquired a soft spot for his little baby Diane. In Grandpa's later years, he didn't do as many activities, but he kept busy by going on trips with Auntie Linda. She took him to Wakaw numerous times to visit Auntie Carmelle and Uncle Bob. She also took him on a very memorable trip to B.C. that had him grinning from ear to ear the entire time. Some great laughs came from the Christmas parties at Grandma and Grandpa's as well. Although my Uncles always made for a lot of laughs, nobody ever made for more laughs than Grandpa. Although he may have been the quietest person in the crowd, he somehow always had us laughing so hard we were almost crying. Pictures taken during the joke gifts will provide evidence of that. I'm sure a few of you know the stories I'm referring to. In closing, we all observed a lot of things during the last few weeks of Camil's life. I think the one that will stick in most of our minds is the inconceivable changes that took place when all his family members would show up by his side...it was like it took him back 20 years every time they walked in. I'm not going to try and pretend I know the meaning of life, but after seeing these vast changes, one has to believe that the one thing that matters in the end is having loved ones by your side. If this is in fact the truth, then Grandpa lived a beautiful life and I think there are many people in here who would be proud to say goodbye the same way he did. They say one day your life will flash before your eyes, just make sure it's worth watching. Grandpa, your life was worth watching and you will be forever missed. CARD OF THANKS Thank you to the Points West staff for the care and hospitality given to Camil while he was a resident there. To Dr. Kerlis and all the other doctors involved with Camil we would like to thank you for your care and compassion you have given over the years. To the entire third floor nursing staff we thank you so much for the tremendous support given to the family of Camil and for your kindness and care given to Camil while he was a patient. On behalf of the family, we wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to all our friends, neighbors, and relatives for the words of comfort, visits, cards, flowers, food and donations. A special thank you to Leona Martens for all you have done. Thank you to Father Louis Fowoyo, Brother Carlos and all others who participated in the service. We would also like to thank the Catholic ladies who put on a wonderful lunch. Last but not least, we would also like to give a sincere thank you to McCaw Funeral Service for their kindness and professionalism. Your thoughtfulness will not be forgotten. Alida Valette and family Donations in memory of Camil may be made to the Alzheimer's Society.