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cheryl cuozzo donated to WORLD WILDLIFE FUND CANADA FOUNDATION-FONDATION DU FONDS MONDIAL POUR LA NATURE CANADA
Friday, January 29, 2021
Dear Chuck, Anne Marie, Robert and Andrew,
Marie-Lou was a very special part of our family too. She left us with many beautiful memories.
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Carmen Boenig lit a candle
Sunday, January 24, 2021
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My deepest sympathies to you Chuck, Annemarie, Robert and Andrew for the sudden passing of your mom and grandma. Marie-Lou was such a special Lady, quite adventurous in her younger years, very knowledgeable on all current topics and events and a calm presence whenever I visited during the holidays or any other special occasion. Chuck, thank you for sharing the beautiful story of your mom and dad – they had such incredible and full-filled life surrounded by family and so many friends. Sending you love and strength during this time of loss, my thoughts are with you.
Love, Carmen
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Colin, Marlene, Emily and John donated to MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY OF CANADA / SOCIÉTÉ CANADIENNE DE LA SCLÉROSE EN PLAQUES
Saturday, January 23, 2021
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Karin Hauser MacAlpine posted a condolence
Thursday, January 21, 2021
Sorry to hear of your mom’s passing. Sending condolences to you and your family.
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Michele Cumming posted a condolence
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
I was so sorry to hear about your mother's passing. So many great memories of her when we would go to your house. She was always so welcoming. She will be dearly missed. Big hugs to you all
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Doug Hodgkinson donated to WORLD WILDLIFE FUND CANADA FOUNDATION-FONDATION DU FONDS MONDIAL POUR LA NATURE CANADA
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
Our deepest sympathy to you and your family
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Doug & Wendy Hodgkinson lit a candle
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
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First of all Wendy and I express our sincere condolences to Charles and Anne Marie for your loss. Although I did not have as much time to know Marie-Lou as others, I remember her as a very intellectual, caring, loving and well spoken lady. I do have a memory of staying the night at the townhouse on midland ( I’m sure I probably had a bit to much to drive home). We were called upstairs by Jean Paul for breakfast, where he had made a breakfast bonanza. We sat down to eat and that’s when I noticed Marie-Lou put jam on her cheese. She told me she had been doing this since a child. To this day I still do this and think of her and that morning. Chuck it’s been a crazy year and having a loved one pass on, makes it even harder, but be rest assured that your dad is up there making breakfast for her and having a jar of jam in front of her. Our thoughts and prayers are with you ,Anne Marie and the Boys
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Linda DiDomenico and Mike Cooper lit a candle
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
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As part of the 1147 family, I've been very blessed to have known Marie-Lou for most of my life. Her warmth, wit and passion for knowledge are gifts that will always be treasured. I will forever remember the many great discussions about literature, Shakespeare in particular, that I was lucky enough to have with Marie-Lou and Jean Paul. A special spark ignited, the candle lit so long ago continues and I am so grateful. Such a great lady will be very much missed here, but how fortunate for those in her company now! On behalf of Bruno, Mike and I, love and support to Chuck, Ann, Robert and Andrew and the rest of the family, near and far. From Linda DiDomenico and Mike Cooper xo
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Diane posted a condolence
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
My deepest Sympathy to the Riopel Family. Marie-Lou was loved by her family. I always enjoyed my visits to Canada and no Visit was complete until I saw Marie-Lou. She was a very Intelligent women. Always so interesting to talk to. she was so kind and lovely.and kept up with all current events. she was caring. she will be missed! Diane Stieber. West Palm Beach, Florida.
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Laura Lee Petty lit a candle
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
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My deepest condolences for the loss of your mom. There was some much I didn’t know so thank-you for sharing. What we had growing up at 1147 really is rare and special. Now our families our hanging out in Heaven having a drink and listening to tunes like the old fashioned says on Midland Ave.
Sending hugs to you and your family
Laura
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Brian Harrison lit a candle
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
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From the moment I met Marie-Lou and Jean Paul and all the time I knew them, they were two of the most special people I could have had the honour to know. They were so welcoming and amazing. They saw me in some of my "best", especially during football games and laughed right along with me. My life was definitely enriched by having known them. I would have to say Chuck won the lottery when it came to parents. The world was a better place with Marie Lou in it and our loss is Heaven's gain. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this time.
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Sonya Hunt lit a candle
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
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What a wonderful story of your mom’s amazing life. She will always be a part of our 1147 family that I cherish deeply. My deepest condolences to you and your family. Thoughts and prayers are with you.
Sonya xo
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Mark Di Domenico lit a candle
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
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Looking back at my childhood, I have very fond memories of what I now call the 1147 experience. Marie-Lou was a big part of those memories and it was a privilege to have known her. I still remember the conversations with Marie-Lou and Jean Paul on a wide spectrum of topics ranging from politics, education and last but not least the Saskatchewan Roughriders! Marie-Lou was certainly a well educated and elegant lady who will be missed by all for sure.
I take comfort knowing my mom(Bette) is ordering a drink from the bartender(Jean Paul) in honor of Marie-Lou up in heaven.
Love to all the Riopel family,
Mark, Erika and family
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Charles Riopel posted a condolence
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
A Life well lived, Marie-Lou Riopel
With eternal love from her son Charles.
Mom's story begins in the picturesque City of Saskatoon on the South Saskatchewan River in April of 1932. Her mother was born in Price Albert, a small city about 2 hours away, while her father hailed from St Mary's Ontario. Her ancestry was diverse, English, Irish and French Canadian. She had a half-brother Andrew Smith, 14 years her senior, whose father was sadly lost to the flu epidemic in 1918. Eager to fly after his high school graduation, he joined the RCAF in England in 1938, and was sadly shot down over Tobruk in 1942.
Her father had a small oil exploration company, and mom had great fun as a young girl watching the drilling operations. He would not live to see his dreams of larger oil and gas finds, as he died too young when Marie-Lou was only 12. Mom would lose her mom just 12 years later, in her early 60's and too soon.
Mom completed High School with honors in music and went on to complete a 3-year Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Saskatchewan, while also following her passion for music by passing Royal Conservatory of Music exams for both Piano and vocals.
In 1957 mom and her lifelong girlfriend Phyllis James sailed from Montreal to Liverpool aboard the Empress of England Ocean Liner, spending time touring Europe, England and Scotland. She fondly recalled the beauty of Vienna, Austria particularly the musical history in that city, how beautiful the city of Venice in Italy was, and finally seeing a Scottish Tattoo in the Castle in the City of Edinburgh during the Edinburgh Festival.
While attending a party with her co-workers she met her husband to be Jean Paul Riopel, who at the time was working at a local TV Station. After dating for a time, they were married in Saskatoon in June of 1958, and shortly after moved to Edmonton for dad to work at a local TV station. Mom took a job there with the large oil well company Haliburton, a job she loved given her father's time in the oil patch.
Dad would soon be hired as a Director of Publicity and Public Relations at a bilingual TV station in Quebec City. This led to an epic road trip from Edmonton to Quebec City, in the month of November, via the US, and the kicker, in an MG Sports Car. The MG was not known for a great heating system, and the mornings were quite cold in the northern US and Ontario. That winter in Quebec City the car often was buried in snow and would not start due to being completely frozen. During this time mom got a job at the University of Laval working for a Professor, however as the political turmoil grew in Quebec they decided to move to Montreal, where in March of 1964 I was born.
In 1967 dad would take a job with the Entertainment Branch of the World's Fair Corporation for EXPO 67. I vaguely recall mom pushing me in a little Coca Cola stroller (looked like a bumper car) through the exhibition. In 1969 dad took a job with the CRTC in Ottawa, where we lived for just over a year. In 1970, in the heart of the October Crisis and the War Measures Act, we moved to Scarborough to again follow dad in his career to a local Cable TV station. I do recall leaving the Ottawa train station with mom among fully armed soldiers on the platform.
Mom, dad and I would make Scarborough our home for the next 32 years, 25 of those years at the townhouse on Midland Avenue where we would make lifelong friends, and make memories we still talk about today.
In the spring of 1985 mom started a job with the Independent Order of Foresters Insurance Company where she would go on to get her Underwriters Certificate and retired in 1997 as a Senior Underwriting Assistant.
I would move out and get married to Anne Marie in 1992, and we would move to Stouffville in 1994. mom and dad visited often, especially after the birth of their first grandson Robert in June 1995, followed by Andrew in March 1997. Sadly dad left us in January of 2002, but mom continued to be active with our boys until the fortunate occasion in 2004 when thanks to Anne Marie's wonderful idea to put mom's name on the Parkview Village Apartments waiting list in 2002, mom moved up to be a 10 minute walk from our house. She treasured all these years with us, watching the boys grow up, spoiling them, babysitting, going to their hockey games, and Sunday dinner every week with us at our home.
She absolutely loved Parkview Village, she served on various committees at the Village, including the Resident's Council and Social Committee, the choir, Friday night movies, and group party preparations.
I cannot say enough about the Parkview facility and its staff, their level of care and concern for my mom, and all the residents, is beyond exceptional. There was always present a sense of community, where social interaction was encouraged and fostered to enable the residents to maintain independent living for as long as they could into their later years. My mom was eternally grateful and blessed to spend the last 17 years so close to us in such a warm and safe environment that Parkview provided.
As mom said some years back, and fitting to close off this narrative, " As I reflect on the varied scenes of my life lived in four provinces, I find many meaningful experiences. At the top of the list I would place my education and musical training plus my marriage and family life. As with any of us, there are many beautiful memories but also a few bittersweet episodes, yet by far the positives outweigh the negatives"
I love you mom and will miss you terribly.
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Murray Rouse posted a condolence
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
What a privilege it was to have known this extremely remarkable lady over the past 45 years.
She exhibited immense qualities of knowledge, decency and respect towards all. Attributes that I know were adopted by her son and grandsons.
Marie-Lou’s history and life could have filled up any room with interesting stories and facts but she was more often interested in hearing about what others had been doing or planning ahead. She LISTENED and demonstrated a genuine interest in what others were doing. The next time you seen her, no matter how much time had passed, Marie-Lou would follow up on what you discussed previously....amazing.
When I learned of her passing I felt a deep sadness for Chuck, Anne-Marie, Robert and Andrew. It also feels like a little part of my past has gone. At the same time over the last 48 hrs I have refurbished so many wonderful memories I have of Marie-Lou. These I will cherish and carry with me always.
Corrine & Murray Rouse
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Sara Murray posted a condolence
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
Love and thoughts are with you today. I have many lovely memories of time spent with your Mom. Did not know Robert and Andrew share names of your Mom's family. Wish we could all be there for you today, but know we grieve with you and care very very much
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The family of Mrs. Marie-Lou Riopel uploaded a photo
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
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The family of Mrs. Marie-Lou Riopel uploaded a photo
Tuesday, January 19, 2021
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