EUGENE FLEURY

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EUGENE FLEURY

December 6, 1943 – January 16, 2025

Our hearts ache with immeasurable sadness as we announce the sudden and unexpected passing of our beloved father, grandfather and great-grandfather, Eugene Fleury on the morning of January 16, 2025.

Dad was born at home to Joseph and Eva Marie Fleury in Binscarth, MB on December 6, 1943. A proud Metis citizen, a favourite childhood treat was his mother’s Bannock and Jam. Dad described himself as troublesome, scrappy, and carefree in his youth, gaining discipline as an Air Cadet, and supported by his strong mom; he also enjoyed playing pool, baseball, and road hockey.

He lived in Zelma and Watrous, SK as well as Oakner and Hamiota, MB while growing up. Dad played junior hockey with the Watrous hockey club and was asked to try out for the WHL’s Saskatoon Quakers (Farm Team to the LA Blades) around the age of 16, but life circumstances at that time did not allow him that luxury. Dad taught himself to drive in his 1949 Ford, having lost his own father suddenly at the youthful age of eight. He had a lifelong passion for hockey, first as a player, a coach, and a lifetime fan of the WHA/NHL Winnipeg Jets Hockey Club.

He moved from Binscarth to Winnipeg in the early 1960s where he met his best friend and love of his life, Nancy Friederici (“Nanny”) on a blind date, and the rest is history! They married on May 1, 1965, and raised two beautiful daughters, Laurie Eva Marie and Catherine Annette Angela, born 10 months apart. While in Winnipeg, they enjoyed league bowling, evenings with family (Thursdays were Game Nights – unless the Jets were on the Radio), weekends dancing at Assiniboine Downs with friends Fred and Marlene Nagam, Rolly and Audrey Boadway, and eating Gondola Pizza – always Thin Crust Pepperoni.

Life was hard, but not without the rich rewards of a happy and loving household. Dad held a variety of jobs to support his young family, from working on loading docks, driving cement trucks for Building Products, eventually finding his calling as a Class 1 truck driver at Reimers & MacArthur Trucking, culminating his career as a professional award-winning driver at Kingsway Transport. Mom and Dad, never ones for city life, moved their young family to Teulon, MB in the summer of 1977, where they remained until the time of their passing.

Some of dad’s fondest Teulon memories were leading the Teulon Tigers to the MAHA Juvenile Provincial Championship in 1983, and to the Peewee Championship in 1999-2000. Dad’s house was always full of girls (Mom, us, our friends, and even the pets); we are certain he was thrilled to have these boys to mentor. He remained well-loved and respected by his team in the years that followed.

He and Mom were the original founders of the Teulon & District Food Bank and Christmas Cheer Board (1978), Canada Day Celebrations (est. 2000) and dad also served as the Chairperson of the Teulon & District Metis Association Inc. for many, many years, establishing a youth drop-in centre and community resource centre for all during his tenure. He received plaques of recognition for his service to the MMF’s Laws of the Hunt in 2002, and for his dedication to the Teulon Local and the communities they serve.

Together, they shared a lifetime of love and laughter, some hardship and immense joy along the course of their almost 60 years together. They loved deeply, challenged each other, and shared common passions for the outdoors and everything Nature had to offer. They became the ultimate power couple, loving life and becoming whatever the other needed to be throughout their time together on this earth and beyond. Dad enjoyed fishing, hunting, camping, and spending as much time as he could with family, especially after mom’s sudden passing on January 31, 2022. He missed her deeply every day.

Dad was kind, honest, loyal, hardworking, quiet, strong, passionate, loving, caring, supportive, funny, charismatic, smart, resourceful, resilient, and so much more. He loved to tease and throw out words like “Indubitably” as though they were part of his daily vocabulary, which was always good for a laugh. He adored being a grandfather and spent countless hours with Brandy and Nikki, pulling them in a cart behind the garden tractor back in a simpler time, catching suckers in the Spring ditches, or teasing them relentlessly until Mom made him stop. They had numerous nicknames for all of us - Laurie (“Lou” or “Lo”), Cathy (“Capper” or “Tigger”), Brandy (“Mushmouse” or “Bandit”), and Nikki (“Nik” or “Nikster”). There were many more, but for the sake of preserving our collective dignity, we’ll just leave it there!

It is impossible to appreciate the essence of a man in a few short sentences but just maybe you can gain an understanding of how important he was to every person whose life his touched. They instilled lifelong values in us all, values that we cherish and will all carry forth and pass on for lifetimes to come.

Dad was predeceased by his loving wife Nancy, father Joseph, mother Eva, brother Maurice/sister-in-law Agnes, sister Mary/brother-in-law Mel, brother-in-law Pete, grandson Christopher, and other beloved family members, too numerous to list.

Left to mourn his passing are his daughters, Laurie (Tim Verdone), Cathy (Keith Halmrast), granddaughters, Brandy (Tony Stark) and Nikki (Martin Dobson), along with his great-grandchildren, Toni, Marley, and Jack; his sister Kate Venne, his brother Allan Ducharme (Lorna), and their families. He also leaves his step-grandchildren and their spouses/families: Megan (Darius, Rae-Anne), Alexandra (Elizabeth) and Tyler (Kristy, Harrison). Much love and acknowledgement to all sides of our beautiful family and their extended families, including Mom’s lifelong best friend, Ellie Hodges of Mission, BC, who was like a sister to our dad.

Our family would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the two teams of paramedics and RCMP who worked so hard to change the outcome. With sincere gratitude to Constable Janis Kelly - your compassion and empathy will soon not be forgotten.

In accordance with Dad’s wishes, cremation has taken place, and a Celebration of Life and interment with Mom will occur sometime in the summer of 2025.

In lieu of flowers, a donation to your local food bank or shelter in their honour would be appreciated.

The finality of losing both parents is hard, but we find solace in knowing you and Mom are together again, as it has always been. Your everlasting love is a testament to the boundlessness of time.

Loves last gift, Remembrance.

“Heartfelt thanks to Ken Loehmer”

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jan 25, 2025