- III -
Margaret VANDERSTEEN
naissance 22
octobre 1925 � Fisher Branch MB,
p/m Eus�be
Meilleur & Blanche Meilleur.
P�re : Jean
Nicholas I VANDERSTEEN
M�re : Jos�phine MEILLEUR
Mari�(e) 24
novembre 1943 � Fisher Branch MB, G�rard Ad�lard
DANDENEAU, naissance 23 mars 1923, (fils de Louis
II DANDENEAU et Fid�lise BENOIT).
12 enfants (4
fils, 8 filles) :
1.1. Edmond G�rard DANDENEAU, naissance 24
octobre 1944, p/m Louis Dandeneau & Fid�lise
Benoit. Mari�(e) 27 septembre 1969 � Narol MB, Shirley
Diane STEMKOWSKI, (fille de Edward
STEMKOWSKI). 3 enfants (2 fils, une fille).
1.1.1. Dean DANDENEAU, naissance 25
septembre 1970.
1.1.2. Tanice DANDENEAU, naissance 12
juin 1973.
1.1.3. Joseph Louis DANDENEAU, naissance
16 octobre 1983.
1.2. Anne Jeanette DANDENEAU, naissance 17
septembre 1945, p/m John Vandersteen & Jos�phine
Meilleur. Mari�(e) 28 octobre 1967 � Fisher Branch
MB par r�v. L�o Marchand, Denis Jean-Baptiste
PANTEL, (fils de Victor PANTEL et Agn�s
LESSAGE). 4 enfants (2 fils, 2 filles).
1.2.1. Guy PANTEL, naissance 7 ao�t
1968.
1.2.2. Paul PANTEL, naissance 18 avril
1970 (jumeau).
1.2.3. Paulette PANTEL, naissance 18
avril 1970 (jumelle).
1.2.4. Anita PANTEL, naissance 3
septembre 1974.
1.3. David Albert DANDENEAU, naissance 24
septembre 1947 � Hunter Memorial Hospital, Teulon
MB, p/m Bert J. Vandersteen & Th�r�se Dandeneau.
Mari�(e) 5 juin 1971 � Winnipeg MB, Huguette
MULAIRE, (fille de Guy MULAIRE). 4 enfants (2
fils, 2 jumelles).
1.3.1. Christian DANDENEAU, naissance 27
d�cembre 1972.
1.3.2. St�phane DANDENEAU, naissance 28
mars 1977.
1.3.3. Marie-Jos�e DANDENEAU, naissance
5 avril 1980 (jumelle).
1.3.4. Andr�e-Anne DANDENEAU, naissance
5 avril 1980 (jumelle).
1.4. Denis Andr� DANDENEAU,
naissance 8 septembre 1948 � Hunter Memorial
Hospital, Teulon MB, p/m John Vandersteen & Mary
Vandersteen. Mari�(e) 19 ao�t 1972 � Wauchope SK, Rose-Marie
Ang�le LENOUAIL, naissance 13 ao� 1947 �
Wawota SK. 3 enfants (3 fils).
1.4.1. Joel Denis DANDENEAU, naissance
1er janvier 1973 � Winnipeg MB.
1.4.2. Marc Andr� DANDENEAU,
naissance 25 novembre 1973 � Memorial Hospital,
Arborg MB. Mari�(e) 21 juillet 2001, Ann ____.
1.4.3. Duane Michel DANDENEAU, naissance
21 janvier 1975.
1.5. Roland Marcel DANDENEAU, naissance 16
ao�t 1950, p/m Prosper Dandeneau & Lucie
Dandeneau. Mari�(e) 21 septembre 1974 � Winnipeg MB,
Huguette FOUASSE, (fille de Albert FOUASSE).
3 enfants (un fils, 2 filles).
1.5.1. Ren�e Lynn DANDENEAU, naissance
15 d�cembre 1976.
1.5.2. Lindsay DANDENEAU, naissance 12
avril 1979.
1.5.3. G�rard DANDENEAU, naissance 27
ao�t 1980.
1.6. Th�r�se DANDENEAU, naissance 23
juillet 1951 � Memorial Hospital, Arborg MB.
(1) Elle a �pous� John MANNING. 2 enfants
(un fils, une fille).
(2) Mari�(e) 2 juillet 1988, Fred MERRETT.
1.6.1. Christine MANNING, naissance 22
juillet 1973.
1.6.2. Jason MANNING, naissance 25
juillet 1978.
1.7. No�lla Claire DANDENEAU, naissance 23
d�cembre 1953 � Red Cross Hospital, Fisher Branch
MB, p/m L�on Dandeneau & Anna Bruneau. Mari�(e)
17 ao�t 1973 � St-Norbert MB, John II NIZIOL,
(fils de John I). 2 enfants (un fils, une
fille).
1.7.1. Margeaux NIZIOL, naissance 6 juin
1979.
1.7.2. Jonathan NIZIOL, naissance 11
f�vrier 1981.
1.8. Emma Elizabeth DANDENEAU, naissance 29
mai 1956 � Red Cross Hospital, Fisher Branch MB, p/m
Bernard & Elizabeth Vandersteen. Mari�(e) 5
juillet 1975 � Fisher Branch MB, Thomas Donald
FORBES. 2 enfants (un fils, une fille).
1.8.1. Tania FORBES, naissance 29
janvier 1977.
1.8.2. Michael FORBES, naissance 25
octobre 1978.
1.9. May DANDENEAU, naissance f�v 1960 �
Winnipeg MB (jumelle), d�c�s 21 f�v 1960 � Winnipeg
MB, fun�railles 23 rev. L�o Marchand, s�pulture au
Parish cemetery, Fisher Branch MB.
1.10. Mary DANDENEAU, naissance f�vrier
1960 � Winnipeg (jumelle), d�c�s 21 f�vrier 1960 �
Winnipeg MB, fun�railles 23 rev. L�o Marchand,
s�pulture au Parish cemetery, Fisher Branch MB.
1.11. Diane Geraldine DANDENEAU, naissance
7 octobre 1961 � St. Boniface General Hospital,
Winnipeg MB, p/m Edmond & Anne Dandeneau.
Mari�(e) 11 octobre 1980 � Fisher Branch MB par r�v.
Denis Bourbonnais o.m.i., Leslie MAUTHE,
(fils de Ernest MAUTHE et Doreen SINGLE). 2 enfants
(un fils, 2 filles).
1.11.1. April MAUTHE, naissance 13
octobre 1982.
1.11.2. Blake MAUTHE, naissance 7
d�cembre 1984.
1.11.3. Clarissa MAUTHE, naissance 2
juin 1988.
1.12. Nancy Ad�le SINCLAIR DANDENEAU,
naissance 20 f�vrier 1966 � Jackhead MB. Mari�(e) 17
ao�t 1985 � Winnipeg MB, Paul BELLEPERCHE.
1.12.1. Tara BELLEPERCHE, naissance 27
f�vrier 1985.
Gerard and Margaret
DANDENEAU Family
At the time when Gerard and Margaret grew up, it was
very hard for young people to get together. There
were very few cars and transportation
was mainly by horse or bicycle. Week days were a
time to work. Sunday you would meet your friends, so
it was a special day for many young and old alike.
Oftentimes, young men and women would meet their
future partner in church, as was their case. Gerard
had an eye on Margaret but didn't know how to get
the courage to speak to her.
As many may remember, in 1940 John
Vandersteen had built a new home and moved his
family in that May. Some young boys, including
Gerard, his brothers and their friends noticed that
there was a nice big field there which would make a
perfect ball diamond. At baseball games it was very
easy to meet and get to know other young folks, and,
of course, to go to the house for a drink of water
for, in those days, good cold well water was the
thing.
After some time Gerard finally got
the courage to ask Margaret out. In June, 1941, he
was invited to Jerry Camire and Rita Champagne's
wedding, and with the 1928 Pontiac the family had
bought he took Margaret to the wedding.
As time went by it was easier to go
out, perhaps to a movie once a month and to a few
house parties. They had a lot in common and they
both loved music. Gerard could play the guitar and
the violin a little too. Margaret loved singing but
was never fortunate enough to learn to play the
guitar.
Gerard spent some time working out,
clearing land for neighbours and earning one dollar
per day, for mostly twelve-hour days. In 1941,
Margaret also worked out, for a family with seven
young children, for seven dollars a month. It was a
lot of hard work washing clothes on the scrubbing
board, scrubbing wooden floors and hauling water
from the well for washing, etc. As neither one of
their had anymore than a grade eight education,
there was no choice but to get the job that was
available and close to home.
The war was on and after Prosper
and Conrad had enlisted, Gerard was called up, but
because his father was crippled and not able to
farm, Gerard was permitted to remain at home.
Margaret was working at a place which was half a
mile away and took time off in the evening to visit
the "neighbour".
On November 24, 1943, Gerard and
Margaret exchanged vows in the Immaculate Conception
Church in Fisher Branch. A wedding party was field
in Joseph and Therese Tougas's house. They have many
beautiful memories of that day.
As Gerard had no house, they
resided with his parents and sisters, Therese and
Lucie, for two and a half years. Meanwhile their
son, Edmond, was born in October, 1944, and Ann
Janette in 1945. In 1946 Gerard built his own little
home in the same yard in which David, Denis,
Therese, Roland and Noella were born.
They have many fond and happy
memories of raising their family. As there was no
entertainment other than home entertainment, many
hours were spent singing and listening to music on
the radio, observing the little talents the children
had and doing the best they could to raise their
family to be respectable citizens. It was a real
treat for them to be able to go to the movies once a
month, even though they sometimes had to count
pennies to pay entry.
It was stressed to the children
that money was not happiness. Even though times were
very hard, Christmas and Easter were always very
special holidays as they all got to go to Grandma
and Grandpa Vandersteen's place for a family
gathering. Whether they went by car, horses or
tractor, no one minded. Sunday was also a treat
because they were able to dress up in their best
clothes and go to church.
In 1954 Gerard's dad passed away so
they, then, moved back to the big (twenty-two feet
by twenty-two feet) house. There, Emma and Diane
were born, and there they also had the misfortune of
losing twin daughters.
In 1968, as the month of' November
approached, which would mark Gerard and Margaret's
twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, the children,
without funds of their own, decided to present an
evening of musical entertainment in the hope of
earning some money which they could then spend to
honor their parents on this special occasion. Plans
were arcade, a program was prepared and on October
13, 1968, they presented themselves to a crowd of
people at the Vidir Hall. The reaction and
appreciation by the people surprised and pleased
them. The encouragement they received that evening
did much to motivate them and was, in reality, the
first stepping stone to a musical career that they
did not dream of then (see THE FAMILY SIX).
In November, a celebration was held and the children
were able to present a gift to their parents.
Gerard's mother, who was then eighty-five, presented
them with a charming silver dollar tree that she had
spent many ours painstakingly making.
In addition to working very hard to
keep up with the farm work, Gerard took on driving
the school bus; he bought his own bus and drove for
thirteen years. In this space of time, some of the
children were working out and starting their own
careers.
At church one Sunday, the priest
asked if any family would be willing and able to
take a foster child into their home. Margaret and
Gerard then got together with their family and
talked it over; found room and love in their hearts
and home, and applied for a little child. They got
their little Nancy, at the age of three and a half
years. The many brothers, sisters and relatives soon
made her one of their own. She is doing very well in
school, is hoping to graduate and make a good life
for herself.
Starting in the spring of 1972,
they began to build to cozy, modern home they now
live in. The entire family pitched in to help, those
who were away came home every weekend to assist.
They waited until it was completely finished before
they moved in. The had their first family meal in
their new home on July 7, 1973. Their son, Denis and
his wife, moved into the old family home that very
day.
As of today (1982), they are both
working: Gerard as custodian in the Collegiate, and
Margaret, at their son's restaurant. They thank God
that they have children who respect and love them.
They can
not express, in words, their feeling of love
and admiration for their children and twenty- tow
grandchildren and the joy share in their
accomplishments.
Recherche et photos
par Simonne Bernier Meilleur, de Fisher Branch
MB
Mise � jour le 15
d�cembre 2005 par Paul Meilleur, de
Sainte-Ad�le QC
Retour � la G�n�alogie des PIONNIERS
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