Bonneau Blanche (1896-1988)* ref.397
Picture of Blanche Bonneau,found in the archives of The Ralliements des familles Bonneau
Year of birth in : May 22nd, 1896 in Bonneauville, 12 miles east of Willow Bunch, Saskatchewan
Year of death in : May 26th, 1988 inSaskatchewan
Father name :Bonneau Trefflé (1864-1937)* ref.193
Mother name :Vaudry Marie-Louise
Husband : Provost Rémi
Children :
Provost Annette
Provost Palmyre
Provost Estelle
Provost Ronald
Provost Rachel
Beauregard André
Picture of Blanche Bonneau et Remi Provost,found in the archives of The Ralliements des familles Bonneau
Texte found in the archives of The Ralliement des familles Bonneau
BLANCHE BONNEAU & RÉMI PROVOST
REFERENCE INFORMATION:
Word of Mouth
Newspaper Clippings
Blanche Bonneau, daughter of Trèfflé Bonneau and Marie-Louise Vaudry, was born on May 22, 1896, in Bonneauville, 12 miles east of Willow Bunch, Sask. She was a rather pretty young lady, with light brown hair, blue-grey eyes and a beautiful smile. Being the eldest girl in the family, she especially was of great assistance to her mother in the rearing of her siblings. As a young lady with a remarkably charming personality, it was not long before Blanche found herself being courted by a handsome young man known as Rémi Provost. Rémi had recently moved West from St.-Damien-de-Brandon, Québec, and he was quite the striking fellow himself! The two soon fell in love, and not long after their engagement, Blanche and Rémi were married on November 23, 1915. They had a happy marriage, and in time Blanche bore Rémi five children, four girls and one boy.
While Rémi was in Quebec, he as everyone else who came from there, had worked as a lumberjack. Nevertheless, though his main interest was in farming, directly following his marriage to Blanche he took up ranching until 1918. Then, from that date until his retirement in 1958, Blanche and Rémi earned their living as farmers. To be sure, the years of the great depression (1929-1939) were not very encouraging for such an endeavour. Nevertheless, they survived the hard times and in the end, it turned out to be a rather successful way of earning a living.
Rémi loved to recount how, in 1937, the worst year of the depression, he did not bother to seed an acre as everything was bone dry, and the great dust storms of the era were blowing daily. There just didn=t seem to be any reason to put in a crop and, though he could have gotten seed from the government, he decided to leave the land dormant for a year. Lo and behold, the weeds grew tall and completely covered the land with a thick matt, even the summer fallow which had been left untouched was blanketed over. The following spring the fields were a real mess, so he cleared them the only way possible, by setting them on fire. He then put in his seed and, with the help of a few timely rains, he harvested one of the best crops ever that fall.
Throughout her life, Blanche was the epitome of a kind, loving and helpful person! Though she had no formal training as a nurse, she cared for countless sick people and nursed them back to good health. Moreover she often served as a midwife, sometimes in her own home and at other times in the patient's home. Blanche was well known as a caregiver in the area and very favourably spoken of by all.
One day in 1934, while Rémi was uptown, he was informed of a sad set of circumstances which were about to overtake a young lad by the name of André Beauregard, and he was deeply moved. As it was, André's mother, who had fallen seriously ill some time before, had passed away a victim of her ailment. It seems André was to be placed in a foster home of (at least in some people's eyes) questionable repute. Rémi immediately went home and informed Blanche of the situation. Apparently André's father, Mr. Léonide Beauregard, was prepared to (and did) pay $10.00 per month for his son's board. After being advised of the child's plight, Blanche, without any reservations whatsoever, willingly took young André into her home and brought him up as one of her own. That young man cherished her and accepted her as his own mother, to her dying day! André is still, and will always be like a member of the family.
In 1973, Blanche and Rémi sold their house in Willow Bunch and moved into a cottage at the Pioneer Lodge, in Assiniboia, Sask. They seemed to enjoy living there, and Rémi was free to take long walks down to the Assiniboia business area, which he so enjoyed. He would usually meet with other former Willow Bunch residents at the Co-op Store, and the lot of them would discuss the current state of world affairs. Actually, except for a bad leg which caused him to limp a little, Rémi remained in relatively good health all his life and, for the most part, he enjoyed his retirement. Therefore, after what can only be regarded as a long, fruitful and happy life, having attained the age of 90 years, Rémi Provost passed away on the 24th day of June, 1975, a man who was content with his life.
As can be expected, Rémi's departure from this world left Blanche very sad and brokenhearted, so much so that she never did seem to quite get over his death. After a lifetime with someone, and they truly got along well, it's quite understandable. By 1984 Blanche had become very frail, and she left her cottage and moved into the Pioneer Lodge in Assiniboia.
Though left alone, Blanche was very fortunate in that she often received visits from her children and her foster son, André Beauregard. Yet, she remained a very lonely lady, and a bit of a recluse. Following about 13 years of solitude, always looking forward to meeting the Lord face to face, Blanche (Bonneau) Provost passed away on the 26th day of May, 1988. Both Blanche and Rémi were truly pleasant people, and they will always be remembered and sadly missed by all who knew them!
Their five children and foster son were all born in Willow Bunch.
ANNETTE, born in 1916, married Wallace Edward Bracey of Verwood on July 30, 1940, in Willow Bunch. Wallace was a butcher by trade; he worked at Rodrigue=s store, the Willow Bunch Co-op, and finally at the Assiniboia Co-op until his retirement. Though they had no children of their own, Wallace and Annette eventually adopted a baby girl; she was named Darlene, and in later years married but remained barren. After their retirement, they moved to Regina to spend their closing years. Wallace passed away on April 30, 1994, and is buried in Regina. Annette continues to reside in a Senior=s home in Regina.
PALMYRE, born in 1918, married Oscar Sjodin on July 3, 1940, in Willow Bunch. Oscar worked as a partsman for Albert André=s John Deere Agency for many years, while Palmyre worked as a clerk at the local Co-op and also in Rodrigue=s store. They later moved to B.C., where both continued to work until retirement. Oscar passed away on June 25, 1997, and Palmyre now resides in a Senior=s Complex in Kelowna, B.C. They had one son, Gérard AJerry@, born June 15, 1941, in Willow Bunch. He married Denise Irma Bernardin on November 17, 1962, in Maillardville, B.C. They have a daughter and a son; Carmen and Roger, both born in British Columbia.
ESTELLE, born in 1919, married Robert ABob@ Gosselin on October 20, 1947, in Willow Bunch. After their marriage they made their living as farmers. They also grew a large garden and Estelle did a lot of canning and pickling. The farm was a full time job, with milking cows, fieldwork, hauling water, keeping roads ploughed in the winter and the endless tasks that everyone had. Bob also drove a school bus. They moved to town in 1967, and retired from farming in 1973. The next few years were spent travelling across Canada and the U.S., before they moved to Kelowna, B.C. in 1980. Bob passed away on September 11, 1992. Estelle has since moved to a Senior=s home in Coronach, Sask. They have two children:
Carmen Joseph (B: September, 22, 1948), married Gloria Fern Olson on June 6, 1970, in Regina, Sask. They have two children: Jody Lynn (B: March 17, 1972), married Shawn Conod on December 27, 1997, in Gananogue, Ont.; and Garth Urgél (B: June 24, 1973), married Amanda Lyle June 29, 1996, in Moose Jaw, Sask. They have two daughters, Kailey Marisa (B: November 28, 1996), and Camryn Genna Rose (B: August 23, 1999). Both grand-daughters were born in Moose Jaw, Sask.;
and Doreen Mary (B: June 19, 1953), married Henry Thomas Luker June 11, 1977, in Regina, Sask. They have a son, Christopher Nathan (B: May 11, 1986).
RONALD, born in 1921, married Réjeanne Mondor on October 27, 1943, in Willow Bunch. After their marriage they ran a business in Fife Lake for many years, and later on Ronald worked for C.C.I.L (a farm equipment company) in Assiniboia. They later moved to Kelowna, B.C., where he drove a city bus until his retirement. They continue to reside in Kelowna (1999). They had six children, Lionel (born & died 1944), Lionel, Pierre, Colette, Dianne, and Ronald Fernand.
RACHEL, born & died in 1923, at five months of age.
Their foster son, ANDRÉ BEAUREGARD, son of Léonide Beauregard & Dorilda Bruneau, was born on May 5, 1934, in Willow Bunch. After his schooling, André worked for area farmers, all the while helping his father farm their half section which was located several miles southeast of town. In 1955, André moved to British Columbia where he worked for lumber mills until his retirement in the 1980s; they reside in Coquitlam, B.C. In 1957 he married Marie-Ange Marchand (she was originally from Gravelbourg, Sask.) and they have four children, Suzanne, Gérard, Monique, and Léo.
PROMISES KEPT!
God had not promised
Skies always blue
Flower-strewn pathways
All our lives through;
God had not promised
Sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow,
Peace without pain.
But God hath promised
Strength for the day,
Rest for the labor,
Light for the way,
Grace for the trials,
Help from above,
Unfailing sympathy,
Undying love.
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