Obituary of Nelson St-Pierre
Nelson Joseph Gaston St-Pierre
It is with heartfelt sorrow and great sadness that the family of Nelson St-Pierre, announce his passing. With his loving wife, Frances (nee Svistovski) at his side, Nelson passed away in her arms on Thursday, March 2, 2023 at the Brandon Regional Health Centre – Palliative Care Unit, after a courageous and hard fought battle against a very painful cancer.
Nelson was born in (Saint Grégoire) Montmorency, Quebec on November 21, 1949 to John-Paul and Lorraine (Ouellet) St-Pierre, their second child and brother to sister, Claudette. Living along the St. Lawrence Seaway is where his love of water and fishing began, which later was much enjoyed during retirement. Childhood friends kept his life busy and exciting with many uphill and downhill adventures and experiences. Primary and junior schooling was done through the Catholic School system with final graduation from Montmorency College.
Construction was always an interest and Nelson started out as a licensed plumber by trade. New challenges beckoned and he became a certified steam fitter with an interprovincial ticket. This opened up his career in the construction industry and led him to become an instrumentation and pneumatic specialist.
Having worked in chemical plants, paper mills, refineries and ending with Nuclear Plants; his jobs took him to the provinces of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick and overseas to Europe and Asia with seven years spent in Cernavoda, Romania and four years in Haiyan, China just south of Shanghai. Prior to retirement, Nelson had his own consulting company and assisted at Point LePreau Refurbishing Project.
During his overseas employment, with Frances by his side, adventure in travel took them to many places; Hong Kong; Shanghai, Beijing in China, Lints and Vienna in Austria; Karlovy Vary, Karlstejn and Prague in the Czech Republic; also Bucharest, Constanza, Mammia in Romania, just to name a few. He also visited cities in Turkey and Greece. Closer to home, Trinadad and Tobago during “Carnival” were a fun time. Disney World, Epcot Centre and Universal Studios were exciting to explore.
After retirement, life with Frances was filled with camping and fishing at Lake of the Prairies, the Duck Mountains, the Whiteshell and Birds Hills Park as well as travels all across Canada and the United States. Several years as snowbirds in Donna, Texas and then Mesa, Arizona allowed for wonderful sightseeing adventures and exploring, while making friends all across North America. In Canada, from the east to the west coast there was much to enjoy. Biking also became a past time with favorite trails around the city of Brandon, the paths at Clear Lake and the endless trails at Birds Hill Park in Winnipeg.
Many more adventures were planned but Covid interrupted things and then the Cancer treatment became the focus.
Nelson will be remembered as a hard-working, dedicated and loyal employee. As a leader, supervisor and manager he had a strong work ethic and did his very best; which gave him an admirable reputation. He never feared taking on a challenge. At home as a husband and partner, laughter, sharing, caring and giving of himself were his daily way of life. The smiles, the hugs, the sunshine he emitted made life a joy.
He was predeceased by his parents, in-laws and numerous family members. Nelson leaves to mourn his passing, his loving partner and wife of 25 years, Frances, who he met and fell in love with while working in Brandon at Simplot now Koch Chemical. His children from his first marriage to Lise Boudreault, son, Martin (Laura) and granddaughters Macey and Cyanna of Toronto, ON; and daughter, Isabelle St-Pierre of Fort McMurray, AB; along with sister, Claudette and family in Quebec. There are also nieces, nephews and other family members from Manitoba and B.C. that also grieve his loss.
Nothing can fill the void of Nelson’s passing. His freedom from pain gives us comfort to know he is at peace. He will be deeply missed. The beloved memories of his laughter, his caring and his joy for life will forever be cherished and immortalized through the photos and videos of a life well lived. Our hearts will hold the biggest gift, that being his love for us and our love for him. Rest in Peace, we will be together again in time.
As per Nelson’s wishes, cremation has taken place and a private interment was held at the Brandon Cemetery.
For those who wish, donations in remembrance of Nelson may be made to a charity of choice.
Thank-you to all the health care professionals from Brandon and Winnipeg who provided care for Nelson during his illness.
A special thank you to the caring, compassionate nurses, nurse’s aides and doctors on the Palliative Care Unit on A3 who made Nelson’s final journey comfortable. God bless you all.
Personally, thank you to my dear family and friends who called, visited, sent flowers and cards, brought food and showed their love for Nelson and I. Also a special thank you to our good friend, Don Gamache who read scripture at the service and to my brother-in-law, Vaughan Boles who gently lowered Nelson into his eternal resting place. Also, thank you to Brockie Donovan staff for their guidance, support and compassionate service.
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