Obituary of Gilbert "Gil" Bouchard

Gilbert Edgar Joseph Bouchard

Brandon, MB

May 13,1956 – April 28,2024

Gil was born in Pine Falls, Manitoba and loved being out there. Gil was always a hard worker and did many construction and roofing jobs as a young man as well as working at his uncles cycle shop St.Croix’s cycle shop and marine, until going to Winnipeg to help his mom with his younger siblings while she returned to school. Gil loved riding a motorcycle and would often bring his younger siblings to Pine Falls to visit on the weekends, or even just for rides around Winnipeg. While in Winnipeg he met and fell in love with Jacqueline (Jackie) Ste.Marie and her two children Ben and Jennifer. They were married in 1983 and then welcomed another son (Sheldon) into their family in 1984. Gil loved doing things with his family.  He was always a joker, playing jokes on all his loved ones and family. We will really miss his sense of humor! He loved to golf, cook on the BBQ, bring the boys to many hockey games and he loved to take his family camping as well as swimming at the Ste.Marie family pool. Gil worked at a painting company until he earned a journeyman's certificate and then went on to run his own painting and decorating business for quite a few years. From there he worked at regional housing until his later years when his health declined.

Gil loved being a grandparent from the very first time he held his first grandson Brett in 1999 and kept on loving each of his six grandchildren Brett, Jeff, Luke, Kayla, Grace, and Brady in whatever ways he knew how. In 2010, after losing both his wife and son Sheldon to cancer he moved his mother Lillian into his home to help care for her. In 2014, when he moved out to Brandon to be closer to his daughter and her family, his mom came with him. He spent the last 10 years helping in any way he could. Since his daughter lives outside of town that meant everything from receiving parcels that could not be delivered to a box number address or giving someone in the family a place to eat, change, or get ready without having to drive out of town to do so before going to an activity after work or school. It meant family had a loving place to hang out whenever it was needed and for any reason. He spent many weekends going to the chuckwagon races to cheer Paul and the boys on, and he went to many of the boy’s hockey games in the winter. He also went to many band concerts to watch the grand kids and he attended plays or dances to watch Grace perform. He made hundreds of trips Chauffeuring grandchildren from one high school to the other just so they could have the opportunity to take trade options in school.

Gil was also a very artistic person. He always had something creative on the go, from painting a care bear mural on Jenn’s bedroom wall when she was little or painting the country bear Jamboree mural on the stairway wall, to his most recent woodworking projects. He made beautiful intarsia Projects in his woodworking shop and even made a wooden Stagecoach complete with wooden horses and harness. He had a couple of half-finished little rocking chairs and a covered wagon in the making that had everything from tiny tools, crates, barrels and even a tiny shotgun. We will all miss so many things about Gil and his love, but his childlike excitement to show us what he was making when we came over will be one of the things, we miss the most.

Gill will be lovingly remembered by his family and friends.

Gil was predeceased by his wife Jacqueline Bouchard and his son Sheldon Bouchard, there will be a small graveside service at St. Boniface Cemetery on Monday, May 13, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. where he will be laid to rest by their sides.