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  Paul I BERNIER

Délia MEILLEUR

photo de
                                  noces, 2 juillet 1945

naissance 18 décembre 1921 à St-Jean-Baptiste MB,
décès 21 août 2004 à Fisher Branch MB, "peacefully at home at the age of 82 years after a lengthy illness",
funérailles 26 à Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church in Fisher Branch MB
(nécrologies).
 


naissance 4 janvier 1924 à Fisher Branch MB,
p/m Moïse Meilleur & Délia Pépin,
décès 29 octobre 2016 à Percy E. Moore Hospital, Fisher Branch MB, âge : 92 ans, "surrounded by family, after a lengthy illness", funérailles 4 novembre à Immaculate Conception Church, Fisher Branch MB, sépulture 5 au Immaculate Conception Cemetery, Fisher Branch MB (nécrologies).

 

Père :  Ovila (Ovide) MEILLEUR
Mère : Zéphérina GAUTHIER

 

Marié(e) 2 juillet 1945 à l'église Immaculée-Conception, Fisher Branch MB, par rév. Léo Marchand,

16 enfants (9 fils, 7 filles).


1.1.  Gérald Paul BERNIER, naissance 21 décembre 1946 à St. Boniface General Hospital, Winnipeg MB, p/m Joseph Bernier & Corinne Grégoire, résidence à Winnipeg MB. Marié(e) 25 mars 1972 à Fisher Branch MB par rév. Hilaire Gagné o.m.i., Susan Ann ACHRAMOWICZ, naissance 16 septembre 1952 à Winnipeg MB, (fille de Jan ACHRAMOWICZ et Anne ANNYCZ). 2 enfants.

1.2.  André Rénald BERNIER, naissance 24 novembre 1947 à St. Boniface General Hospital, Winnipeg MB, p/m Ovila Meilleur & Zéphérina Gauthier, décès 11 juillet 2012 à Bethesda Hospital in Steinbach MB, âge : 64 ans, "peacefully, surrounded by family and friends after a lengthy illness", funérailles 17 à Notre Dame de Lorette Parish in Lorette MB (nécrologie). Marié(e) 20 mai 1972 à Winnipeg MB, Lynne Winnifred Ada CAITHNESS, naissance 22 juillet 1948 à St. Boniface General Hospital, Winnipeg MB (fille de James Martin JEAN et Louise BRIGG). 4 enfants.



1.3.  Lionel Maurice BERNIER, naissance 28 février 1949 à St. Boniface General Hospital, Winnipeg MB, p/m Maurice Meilleur & Alma Bernier, résidence à Lorette MB. Marié(e) 5 mai 1973 à Fisher Branch MB par rév. Hilaire Gagné o.m.i., Patricia Marcella VERMETTE, naissance 11 février 1951 à St. Boniface General Hospital, Winnipeg MB, (fille de Roland VERMETTE et Fernande CADOTTE).

1.4.  Claude I Roger BERNIER, naissance 5 mars 1950 à Hunter Memorial Hospital, Teulon MB, p/m Roger Bernier & Éva Meilleur, résidence à Lorette MB. Marié(e) 28 octobre 1972 à Fisher Branch MB, par rév. Hilaire Gagné o.m.i., Evonne Freda WILSON, naissance 7 mars 1955, (fille de John George WILSON et Freda John COCHRANE). 3 enfants.

1.5.  David Aurèle BERNIER, naissance 9 juin 1951 à Red Cross Hospital, Fisher Branch MB, p/m Auray Meilleur & Simonne Bernier, résidence à Winnipeg MB. Marié(e) 7 juin 1975 à Fisher Branch MB par rév. Hilaire Gagné o.m.i., Darlene STAWYCHNY, naissance 11 mai 1955 à Fisher Branch Hospital MB, (fille de Henry STAWYCHNY et Ann TYCHOLIS). 3 fils.

1.6.  Paulette Anne BERNIER, naissance 19 octobre 1952 à Red Cross Hospital, Fisher Branch MB, p/m Émery Meilleur & Léontine Carrière, résidence à Rossburn MB. Marié(e) 23 juin 1973 à Fisher Branch MB par rév. Hilaire Gagné o.m.i., Jack Steven MANN, naissance 10 mars 1953 à Teulon MB, (fils de Arthur MANN et Mabel KUTZ). 4 filles.

1.7.  Marie BERNIER, naissance 29 novembre 1953 à Fisher Branch MB, décès 29 novembre 1953 à Fisher Branch MB.  "She was discovered to have suffered from hydrocephaly (water head) baby".

1.8.  Jocelyne Diana BERNIER, naissance 2 janvier 1956 à Fisher Branch Hospital MB, p/m René Rivard & Lucie Cormier, résidence à Goshen IN.
(2) Marié(e) 16 juillet 1988 à Goshen IN, Jon Earl SLOUGH, naissance 2 juillet 1956.  Fils de Mrs LELAND.

1.9.  Carmelle Claudette Thérèse BERNIER, naissance 14 mars 1957 à Red Cross Hospital, Fisher Branch MB, p/m Ernest Meilleur & Thérèse LeTexier. 
(2) Marié(e) 2 février 1980 à Fisher Branch MB par rév. Denis Bourbonnais o.m.i., Clifford James STODGELL, naissance 6 mai 1954, (fils de James Henry STODGELL et Beatrice STAPLETON). 2 enfants.

1.10.  Noëlla Marcella Collette BERNIER, naissance 20 décembre 1958 à Red Cross Hospital, Fisher Branch MB, p/m Alder Raymond & Léa Meilleur, résidence à Minneapolis MN. 
(1) Marié(e) 24 février 1979 à Fisher Branch MB par rév. Denis Bourbonnais o.m.i., Larry James BAZILEWICH, (fils de John BAZILEWICH et Helen WALASHEK). 2 enfants.
(2) Marié(e) 27 novembre 1994 à Winnipeg MB, Brian RUDGE, naissance 26 mars 1968 à Grace General Hospital, Winnipeg MB, (fils de Richard RUDGE et Heather GREEN).

1.11.  Marc Edgar Albert BERNIER, naissance 9 mars 1960 à St. Boniface General Hospital, Winnipeg MB, p/m Alcide Meilleur & Jeanne Fortier, résidence à Winnipeg MB. 
Marié(e) 29 juillet 1989 à Fisher Branch MB par rév. Deacon Robert Giasson, Joyce MEILLEUR, naissance 4 mai 1963, (fille de  Régis Réginald MEILLEUR et Lucy VANDERSTEEN). Marc Bernier et Joyce Meilleur sont cousins issus de germains ayant comme ancêtre commun Thaddée II Meilleur. 2 fils.

1.12.  Nicole Yvette BERNIER, naissance 20 mars 1961 à St. Boniface General Hospital, Winnipeg MB, p/m Léo Lagassé & Amanda Meilleur, résidence à Winnipeg MB. Marié(e) 23 juin 1984 à Fisher Branch MB par rév. Denis Bourbonnais o.m.i., Ronald GAGALUK, naissance 9 juin 1962, (fils de Walter GAGALUK et Josie (Josephine) WLADYKA). 2 enfants.

1.13.  Paul II Yves BERNIER, naissance 20 mars 1961 à St. Boniface General Hospital, Winnipeg MB, p/m Antonio Bouchard & Yvonne Labbé, résidence à Fisher Branch MB.  Conjoint(e) Helen ____. Paul II
                                    Bernier

1.14.  Laurent Albert BERNIER, naissance 14 août 1962 à Memorial Hospital, Arborg MB, p/m Albert Meilleur & Jeanne Pépin, résidence à Winnipeg MB.  Marié(e) 2 juin 1990 à Fisher Branch MB par rév. Deacon Robert Giasson, Linda Ann STAPLETON, naissance 26 février 1964 à Winnipeg MB, (fille de Wilfred STAPLETON et Elizabeth FORESTIER).

1.14.1.  Sean Edward BERNIER, naissance 6 juillet 1994 à Women's Pavilion, Winnipeg MB.

1.15.  Richard Émile Victor BERNIER, naissance 28 janvier 1964 à Grace General Hospital, Winnipeg MB, p/m Richard Myers & Juliette Meilleur, résidence à New Bothwell MB.
Il a épousé Diane PELLETIER, (fille de Alexandre PELLETIER et Simone Marie CHARTIER).
10 octobre
                                    1999


1.16.  Michelle Cynthia Rachelle BERNIER, naissance 10 août 1966 à Red Cross Hospital, Fisher Branch MB, p/m David Mann & Denise Meilleur, résidence à Fisher Branch MB. Marié(e) 9 septembre 1989 à Fisher Branch MB par rév. Deacon Robert Giasson, Terrence Murray TRUTHWAITE, naissance 22 août 1965 à Memorial Hospital, Arborg MB, (fils de Robert TRUTHWAITE et Anne O'MALLEY).

1.16.1.  Branden Sean TRUTHWAITE, naissance 20 octobre 1995 à Victoria General Hospital, Winnipeg MB.


Paul Édouard BERNIER & Délia MEILLEUR

Paul, eldest son of Joseph Bernier and Corinne Grégoire, was born on December 18, 1921, in St. Jean-Baptiste, Manitoba. In June of 1932, after finishing his fourth grade in French, he moved to Fisher Branch, Manitoba, with his parents. Although he was only ten years of age, he drove a team of horses from St. Jean-Baptiste to Fisher Branch, travelling 150 miles through Winnipeg, Gimli and Arborg.

While passing through Winnipeg, young Paul developed stomach cramps after having eaten home canned meat that had soured along the way. Mr. Bernier had warned his brother Osias and Paul of the consequences if they ate the meat. With the voracious appetite of a ten year-old boy, Paul ate his fill as he thought it tasted alright. But Alas! When it started affecting him, Paul blacked over with cramps. Where does one go when on Main Street in Winnipeg in 1932? Hurry! Hurry! Behind the nearest clump of fully bloomed lilacs in front of a house, just past the subway, north of the C.P. Station, was his only choice. There was no time for hesitation, luckily for him, the occupants apparently were not at home.

Paul vividly remembers both Roger and himself climbing the big spruce trees by their house on Sundays when visitors called. They would not come down until the company left. They were both shy then and decided they were too poorly dressed to be seen. Little did they know at that time, everyone was in the same situation, the depression missed no one!
Délia Meilleur
                                et Paul Bernier
Hard work and determination, both at school and at home, was their only recourse against the depression. After school, Paul and Roger would help their father clear land with axes and grub hoes. Spruce and poplar trees were severed at the roots, then pulled down and out of the soil by a team of rugged horses. A breaking plow pulled by five horses, broke the soil at a rate of only one acre a day. The first twenty acres plowed, stretched almost a half mile in an east-west direction. Paul's home is currently situated on part of that original strip.

Hard work and long hours did not put a damper on the good time they enjoyed at those all-night neighbouring parties. The parties were attended by both parents and teenagers, with plenty to eat and a good supply of home brew. As he grew older, Paul would participate at the parties by taking turns playing music. He played the violin and Roger accompanied him on the guitar.

Paul grew up with an eye for the girls, especially for the one who sat in the second pew in front of him in church every Sunday (in those days, families occupied the pew which bore their name) that is until one day in January of 1943, when at the age of twenty one, he left to join the army. From Winnipeg, he went to Cornwall, Ontario, for basic training as a gunner in tile artillery. He was later stationed in Winnipeg and coincidently (or was it) the girl front the second pew was also working in Winnipeg.
Délia Meilleur
                                et Paul Bernier
The romance blossomed and on July 2, 1945, one month after Victory in Europe, Paul Bernier married Delia Meilleur, daughter of Ovila Meilleur and Zépherina Gauthier. For one year, they resided at 216 Garry Street, Winnipeg, where the Post Office now stands.

After V.E. Day, Paul signed up for two years of occupational duty in Germany and while waiting to be sent overseas, an illness put him in hospital for three months instead. Disappointed, he asked for his discharge, which he received dated June 26, 1946. He then returned to the farm he first came to in 1932. But how he missed his comrades and the public life! Three years later, in 1949, he once again found comradeship when he joined the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 158, and has been an active member since. He is also a charter member of the Fisher Branch Council of the Knights of Columbus.

In 1946, we became the proud parents of a son ; the first of sixteen children.
Famille de Délia
                                Meilleur et Paul Bernier
Unfortunately, one child Marie was lost. The year of 1953 was a sad one. I was expecting my seventh child at the beginning of the new year when at the end of September, a minor fall broke the water on my "hydrocephalic" baby's head, I knew that I was carrying, a dead baby from that day onwards. After two long months, on November 29, 1953, this baby was stillborn. To the surprise of the doctor, the baby girl was very normal and nothing seemed to be wrong! I had placed myself under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, therefore, the baby was not decomposed as so often happens, and there was no need for a D & C (Dilatation and Curettage).

Another particularly difficult time occurred when I came home after delivering our eighth child, Carmelle. She was only eight days old when all eight children developed whooping cough ill March of 1957. Paul and I took turns caring for the children. Between "blue spells" and vomiting, it's a wonder all of them survived. Unfortunately, shortly thereafter, they all fell ill to red measles in July and then the Asian Flu ill November. They had been sick for almost a full year! Gerald, at ten years old said, "Mom, how many more diseases are we going to have." The Good Lord was definitely watching over us.

Despite these earlier hardships, all fifteen children flourished. Needless to say, we always had a house full! We had children in school for thirty-one consecutive years. In addition, we took care of my mother and Paul's father in succession for over eight years, with as many as seven children still living at home. There sure wasn't anytime to laze around. I was baking 12 loaves of bread every other day and going through 200 pounds of flour a month, when we had 10 children in school, of which 6 were teenagers.

As well, I washed clothes every other day, and every day after the twins were born, with plenty of scrubbing by hand. Like my mom used to say, "No matter how poor you are, there's no excuse for dirt" Also, I was recycling, long before the word was used. My children used to say, "You're so cheap". Now, it's called "recycling". As well, I sewed all their clothing, without benefit of patterns. Unlike today, these clothes lasted for years, unfortunately for the youngest children who were always wearing "hand-me-downs".

I am also a self taught knitter who learned the basics from my mother at 7 years of age and learned to crochet on my own at 15. In 1994, in California's Indio Date Festival, I won 1st prize for a knitted lady's sweater and 2nd prize for a crocheted baby set. I still enjoy these crafts, reading, gardening, travelling, and of course, our grown children and grandchildren.

Enfants de Paul et
                                              Délia Bernier, Fisher
                                              Branch MB

de gauche à droite :
David - Marc - André - Paulette - Claude - Carmelle - Laurent - Jocelyne - Gérald - Délia et Paul - Michelle - Richard - Nicole - Lionel - Noëlla - Paul jr.
 

In July of 1985, the children got together to celebrate our 40th (Ruby) Wedding Anniversary with a splendid party. Much to our surprise, they also gave us a set of luggage and a paid trip to Australia to visit a pen pal, Isabel Nordin. She and I had been corresponding since 1938. Though that was our first overseas travel, it was by no means our last. However, we did travel Canada in the last couple years with a memorable trip to the Northwest Territories, Yukon and Alaska in June and July of 1994. We also have spent the last ten winters in Southern California, as we find Manitoba's weather too severe.It wasn't always that easy. In 1961, Paul was stricken with a kidney ailment and had a deformed kidney surgically removed.
Délia Meilleur
                                et Paul Bernier
He also spent two months in hospital for the same kidney problem in the spring of 1946 while he was still in the army. Interestingly, there is one grandchild that also seems to have the same affliction.More recently, in October 1994, Paul was hospitalized for a full month after having a heart attack which resulted in surgery for a quadruple by-pass. He recuperated well after his surgery on November 2nd, and by December 30th, he was back in Palm Springs for our annual reprieve. Paul still enjoys playing cards, travelling, fishing and hunting.

He has been a retired farmer for some years now but still gives a helping hand to Paul Jr. on the farm. On a final note, we celebrated our 50th (Golden Jubilee) Anniversary on July 8, 1995, with many friends, relatives and family. This family has now grown to 58, including 29 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild. We have truly been Blessed, as we all now enjoy good health and happiness.

__________________
Written by Delia Bernier
Dated February 1, 1996



Recherche et photos par Simonne Bernier Meilleur, de Fisher Branch MB

Mise à jour le 7 novembre 2016 par Paul Meilleur, de Ste-Adèle QC

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paul.meilleur@yahoo.com

Rubrique nécrologique

cimetière de Fisther Branch MB,
                                    23 sep 2007
cimetière de Fisher Branch MB,
                                    23 sep 2007