FERNAND EMILE VINCENT

Condolences & Memories (2 entries)

• Anyone that knows me well knows Grampa was my favorite person in the world... Some of my best childhood memories were of being with him...I loved hanging out with him in the garage while he was puttering around and following him around while he was working...hearing him talk constantly...not sure if it was to me or to himself but I was always listening. I remember thinking he was the smartest person in the world when I was young... I remember he always had his list of things to accomplish for spring/summer as he couldn't sit idle for too long.... I had so many close talks with Grampa in the years to come as I was growing up...some crying, some laughing...he always knew what to say...him and Nanny were a huge part of our lives and were always there for us...as I always noticed they were for anyone in the family that needed them...I actually remember running away to Nanny and Grampas when I was little and saying "dont tell mom and Doug I'm here " and they said "of course not" I'm sure mom knew right away.... One of my favorite memories with him was when I was in my late 20s and we sat on the dock together for quite  a long time watching a dragonfly come out of its creepy little shell and both finally figured out what all those things were on the side of the dock...whenever I see a dragonfly I always think of him and will always continue to do so... Grampa never was shy about saying how lucky he was to have the family he did....sometimes getting quite emotional about it which was ok I remember many times or moments just being  able to see and feel how much he loved nanny and I always hoped I would find someone that loved me that much....took me a long time! I've also called Grampa the "baby whisperer "as he always seemed to have this knack for having the babies fall asleep on him....pretty sure there's a picture of all our kids sleeping on Grampa....of course he was sleeping too... He was always so patient with us growing up and our kids...and even on his last months always seemed to light up when the grand kids were around...it wasn't that long ago he was playing the fiddle with Rylan while he played his guitar....as Rylan called them "the young/old band" and was still enjoying playing with willow this past summer while in the home... I remember Grampa always reading the paper every night and always saying "did u know" blah blah blah....whether anyone was listening or not so it was quite sad when his vision went...but thank God he got into his music as much as he did and became quite good at it...I guess u can teach an old dog new tricks! All I know is that he always needed something to do! I know Nanny was always dealing with some kinda of renovations or projects that Grampa had on the go constantly...even when they moved into the condo in Lac Du Bonnet I think Nanny thought "yay" nothing he can do here....but then decided to rip up the floor among some other things...never a dull moment right Nanny?! Anyways, all I can say is I feel so lucky to have had him as my Grampa....I could never have asked for a better Grampa to have in my life.   - Posted by: Shannon Berndsen (Granddaughter ) on: Sep 30, 2018

• I am so sorry to hear of his passing and my heart goes out to all of you. I wish there were some magical words of comfort that I could offer but I know there isn't anything that will really help. Fern was an amazing man and I really enjoyed his stories, his charm and his gentlemanliness (if that is a word). He certainly appeared to have lived a full and wonderful life creating his "Fernamajigs" and raising his family. He was lucky to have all of you and you were lucky to have had him as well. With much love, Glenda - Posted by: Glenda Kraus (Family friend, admirer) on: Sep 29, 2018