Obituary of Cheslyn Bourgoin
Cheslyn Bourgoin (Strutt) was born on September 6th, 1943 to Kenneth and Evelyn Strutt (Wilson). She was the second youngest of 9 children raised on a farm in Shawville, Quebec where she was known to shirk domestic household chores in favour of handling the outdoor tasks of feeding chickens, mucking stalls, and milking cows. At the age of 16 she graduated high school and went off to teachers’ college in Montreal. She was teaching grades 3 to 5 by the time she was 18 and, at 4 foot 11(and three quarters!) inches tall, she was often mistaken for one of her students. Cheslyn said she chose teacher’s college because of the summers off and she had dreams of travelling. Travel she did, whenever she could. She was very proud to have set foot in every province of Canada in her lifetime.
At the age of 26 she decided to try the whole marriage and children thing. She gave up teaching to have and raise three children. In 1989, she decided that the children she liked, but the husband she could do without. She settled in Renfrew with her kids, took herself back to school and became a Health Care Aide at Quail Creek Retirement home where she worked for over 20 years all the while juggling the responsibilities of being a single mother with a strength of character that belied her small stature. Cheslyn was a fierce, independent, intelligent woman who rarely complained, unless someone asked her to cook, which no one did. Because she was a terrible cook.
Cheslyn loved a good book, a long walk in the morning, a nice wooden rocking chair, a sturdy swing set, too much salt, certainly too much sugar, and long drives with the music turned up loud enough that she could not hear herself sing. She was a history buff who loved to read and watch television, always keeping up with current events. If you had a question about politics anywhere in the world, chances are Cheslyn was the one to ask.
The last few years of Cheslyn’s life were a struggle as the ugly grip of dementia took hold. One by one, the memories of a life well lived flickered and dimmed, but her rather warped sense of humour never failed, a trait that was passed on to her children who never take anything seriously. Her humour and ability to find the funny in every situation helped her get through many hard times, even dementia. One of the bonuses of having dementia, she said, was that she could get away with murder as it was quite clear that she did not know her ass from her elbow. She never stopped being Cheslyn. (To the best of our knowledge, she never did commit the act).
Cheslyn leaves behind her children Cheryl Brydges (Shawne), Michael, and Sara (Trevor Kenopic), her 6 grandchildren Spencer, Katie, Sawyer, Ben, Alex and Logan as well as 2 sisters, Mary-Lou Draper (Barry) and Eunice Horvath (Bela -deceased), and 1 brother Doug (Yvette) Strutt. She was predeceased by siblings Wendy, Ann, Clare, Gary and Karen.
Never one to make a big fuss over anything, Cheslyn made it quite clear that there was to be no big funeral or memorial after her passing and we are certainly not allowed to spend any money on her. Cremation will take place and her children and grandchildren will celebrate her life privately and as cheaply as possible.
The family would like to thank everyone at the Bonnechere Manor who took such good care of her until the end. In our eyes, you are all heroes.
Every Spring and fall without fail, Cheslyn would look to the sky and watch for the comings and goings of the migrating geese. No matter what is going on in the world, she said, when you see the geese flying south you can be certain that God is in His Heaven and all is right with the world. When next you see a flock of geese, think of Cheslyn, who made her own journey home on October 20, 2024. Today and forever, she flies free.
As an expression of sympathy, memorial contributions can be made in Cheslyn’s name to the Bonnechere Manor.
