Obituary for René Poulin
At home on Wednesday, January 22, 2020. René Poulin of Alexandria; age 95 years. Beloved husband of the late Lucie Poulin (née Paradis). Loving father of André Poulin (Jackie) of Cornwall and Denis Poulin (Monique) of St. Andrew's. Cherished grandfather of 9 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren. Predeceased by two sons Claude (Francine of Martintown) and Maurice Poulin, and by brothers, Albert, Edmond, John and Leo and by sister Lauria Larwill. Dear son of the late Albert and Julienne Poulin. René was a World War II Veteran. Relatives and friends may call at the Munro & Morris Funeral Homes Ltd., 114 Main St. South, Alexandria (613-525-2772) on Tuesday, January 28, 2020 from 2-4 pm and 7-9 pm and on Wednesday from 9:30 am until 10:30 am. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Église Sacré-Coeur on Wednesday, January 29, 2020 at 11 am. Cremation will follow. As expressions of sympathy Memorial Donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario would be appreciated by the family. As a Memorial to René a tree will be planted in a Memory Woods.
Born in Glen Roy, his formative years were spent in Alexandria. At the age of 16, he enrolled in the Armed Forces. He trained in Kingston and he was deployed to England via Halifax. Due to his young age, he was assigned to the Corps of Engineers. He continued to train under seasoned soldiers. Through the years, he told stories of training ‘much older’ soldiers to drive manual transmission trucks, of being assigned to building crews and the outings to local pubs. He trained as a carpenter during the war years so when he received his Honourable discharge and returned to Canada, he enrolled and completed the carpenter program to continue his career. This wise decision opened opportunities to him. He started working as a carpenter on the new dam projects where his maturity, skills and leadership became apparent and was promoted to foreman at the age of 24 while working on the Saunders dam. He led large, multi-shift teams building the dams at Beauharnois, Carillon, Mattawa and all along the Seaway. Choosing not to continue working large scale projects and not wanting to upheave his family, he worked for local contractors in the Alexandria area and constructed many of the homes, commercial and industrial buildings in the area.
A devoted family man, his joy was to have family around him whether it was his siblings and their families for horse shoe tournaments, darts or shuffleboard, or his immediate family for a casual visit. He enjoyed camping with the love of his life, Lucie and they met many friends through their years camping at the Glengarry Provincial Park and the Lancaster Park. After retirement, he took up fishing and spent many hours on the St. Lawrence River. It was always a sad day when the pontoon had to be taken out of the water. Fiercely independent, he will be missed by everyone who knew him.
The family would like to send out a special thank you to those who helped us watch over him and enrich his life these last years when he was alone. Your kindness will be remembered.
Born in Glen Roy, his formative years were spent in Alexandria. At the age of 16, he enrolled in the Armed Forces. He trained in Kingston and he was deployed to England via Halifax. Due to his young age, he was assigned to the Corps of Engineers. He continued to train under seasoned soldiers. Through the years, he told stories of training ‘much older’ soldiers to drive manual transmission trucks, of being assigned to building crews and the outings to local pubs. He trained as a carpenter during the war years so when he received his Honourable discharge and returned to Canada, he enrolled and completed the carpenter program to continue his career. This wise decision opened opportunities to him. He started working as a carpenter on the new dam projects where his maturity, skills and leadership became apparent and was promoted to foreman at the age of 24 while working on the Saunders dam. He led large, multi-shift teams building the dams at Beauharnois, Carillon, Mattawa and all along the Seaway. Choosing not to continue working large scale projects and not wanting to upheave his family, he worked for local contractors in the Alexandria area and constructed many of the homes, commercial and industrial buildings in the area.
A devoted family man, his joy was to have family around him whether it was his siblings and their families for horse shoe tournaments, darts or shuffleboard, or his immediate family for a casual visit. He enjoyed camping with the love of his life, Lucie and they met many friends through their years camping at the Glengarry Provincial Park and the Lancaster Park. After retirement, he took up fishing and spent many hours on the St. Lawrence River. It was always a sad day when the pontoon had to be taken out of the water. Fiercely independent, he will be missed by everyone who knew him.
The family would like to send out a special thank you to those who helped us watch over him and enrich his life these last years when he was alone. Your kindness will be remembered.