VAILLANCOURT, Florence (née Bossé)
It is with heavy hearts that Richard and Mary announce the passing of Florence Vaillancourt. A resident of the Elizabeth Centre in Val Caron for the past three years, Florence died peacefully in her sleep at Health Sciences North on January 20, 2022 at the age of 101.
Florence Juliette Vaillancourt (née Bossé) is survived by her son Richard (Mary) of North Bay; and her sisters Reina Chaput (late Mike) of Sudbury; Dolores Groulx (late Jacques) of Kapuskasing and Leona Crowder (Dan) of Windsor.
Florence was predeceased by her husband Emile and by her son Cleo (Darlene) of Ottawa; parents Honoré and Rosanna Bossé (née Vinette). She is also predeceased by her 2 brothers: Armand (late Eileen) of Branford; Romuald (late Jeannette) of Chelmsford; and 6 sisters; Lucille Balez (late Leon) of Chelmsford; Rita Lachance (late Liguori) of Sturgeon Falls; Yvette Frohlick (late Adam) of Levack; Fernande Bossé of Chelmsford; Alicia Robinson (late Willard) of Toronto and Huguette Locker (late Lorne) of Milwaukee.
She will always have a special place in the hearts of her grandson Christopher (Catherine) of Ottawa; granddaughter Cathy Faussett of North Carolina; granddaughter Terri Wilson (Michael) of Napanee and her great-grandchildren: Jamie Handlovits (Russell) of New York, Nick and Matt Faussett of North Carolina; Emile Paajenen of Napanee, and Sarah Mercer of Halifax.
She will be sadly missed by many dear nieces and nephews.
Born in Dollar Saskatchewan on June 8th, 1920, she moved to Chelmsford Ontario when she was 12. She began working for The Bell Telephone Co. when she was in her teens and while working there, she met and married her husband Emile in 1938. During the first couple years of marriage, Florence owned and operated a small restaurant on Main Street in Chelmsford.
Florence and Emile and their two boys, Cleo and Richard moved to North Bay in 1951 when Emile, who was a police constable for the CNR railroad, was transferred. While living in North Bay Florence operated and maintained a comfortable tourist rooming house with 7 bedrooms and at the same time she volunteered and gave selflessly of her time at the psychiatric hospital for many years. Florence began saving unusual and often whimsical salt and pepper shakers shortly after moving to North Bay. Many times, as a thank you to her, guest in her home would gift her unconventional sets which she would promptly add to her display in glassed-in shelving in her living room. Florence’s collection numbered 350 sets.
Florence was an outstanding seamstress and millenary designer and there was no garment that was too difficult for her to undertake. She made all her own dresses, blouses, slacks and even her own coats and, of course, many of these outfits were accessorized with matching hats.
Florence and her husband moved back to their family hometown of Chelmsford in 1967 where they and other family members constructed and ran the Northland Motel. Florence will be remembered for her beautiful needlework. Her exquisite work hangs in the homes of her children and grandchildren and will be cherished by them for many, many years to come.
Florence was an avid reader and had a lovely book collection. She loved to travel and visited many places in Canada, United States and Europe and even went zip lining at the age of 80 in Costa Rica.
Our family would like to thank the staff at the Elizabeth Centre for their great care and compassion while she was a resident at the home.
In keeping with Florences’s wishes, there will be no visitation or funeral service. Memorial donations in Florence’s name are greatly appreciated and can be made by cheque or online to the Alzheimer Society of Canada or any charity of your choice. www.cooperativefuneralhome.ca