Louis Lou Robert Joseph Contant

Louis Robert Joseph Contant was a man who lived and loved life to the fullest and he shared that sense of awe, wonder, and fascination with everyone he encountered: friends, family, neighbours, colleagues, casual acquaintances, anyone he met.

Lou was a reader, a writer, a poet, a philosopher, a musician, a real lover of life. He enjoyed food and sharing a glass of beer or wine with friends and he had a contagious sense of humour. He had a way with words and knew how to spin his tales his humour and wit. He was rarely depressed, even throughout the three years of his illness. He was always understanding and accepting of people, whoever they were and whatever their stories. He was an inspiration to most everyone who met him.

As a young man, Lou had a sports car, a black Triumph TR2, which he absolutely loved to wash and polish and drive, full out, along winding country roads. The windier and hillier the road, the better. Seeing any curving road sign, always brought a smile to Lou’s face, and if I was driving, he always said, “Can you speed it up a bit, Willie? You can do better than that!”

Lou loved weather-watching and nature: the birds, butterflies, animals; the trees, flowers, mountains; the rivers, lakes, and sunsets. His belief in God and his curiosity about the universe, and our place in it, were boundless. He would talk about the cosmos, and speculate about other life ‘out there’ with anyone. He was always interested in astronomy and loved to look up at the Milky Way above the cottage. We had the privilege of spending 25 delightful summers renting a small, rustic cottage, in Burritt’s Rapids, Ontario. The owners, Renée and Brad Smith, were always generous and allowed us to use their tennis court, which we did daily, wander their extensive gardens, and pick their apples. Sitting on the balcony ledge the first time we visited the cottage, while I went to speak with Renée, Lou soaked in the essence of that place along the Rideau River and knew that this was the quiet refuge he needed.Lou wasn’t an extensive traveller. Aside from our weekly trips to the cottage, he enjoyed driving anywhere (except in the city) and he enjoyed his annual visits to see his Mom and friends in Vancouver and periodically to Winnipeg to visit with his family. That being said, he was an avid reader of books whose authors wrote about their travels and adventures and he was fascinated to read about their journeys, and occasional mishaps, from the comfort of home.

Lou loved music. Last Thursday afternoon, as Lou rested in a private room at St. Mary’s Hospital, we listened to the music of Oliver Jones. It was a quiet jazz CD with Lou’s favourite jazz combo of piano, bass and drums. As he lay there on the bed, his toes and fingers periodically moved to the rhythms of the music, as he soaked in the sounds of old jazz standards and new jazz pieces. He was peaceful, but attentively listening. Lou’s love of music, classical or jazz, was a huge part of his life. Weekly, for many years, Lou played baroque music with his long-time friend, Rod Manson: Lou on the recorder and Rod on the harpsichord. Lou could never really understand people if they said that they ‘didn’t like music’ as he felt they were missing an essential component of the joy of living. As his life partner and wife, I have had the absolute privilege and honour of spending these last 30 years with Louis Robert Joseph Contant and of sharing him with many of you here today. We have all lost the physical presence of Lou in our lives, but we have not lost the memories and reminders to all of us, to live life to the fullest, each and every day and to share our individual life journeys, with love and compassion, with everyone we meet.

Thank you, Wilma Brown

HYMN 436: Abide with Me

(Tune: Eventide)

Abide with me, fast falls the eventide,

The darkness deepens, Lord, with me abide,

When other helpers fail, and comforts flee,

Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

I need your presence every passing hour,

What but your grace can foil the tempter’s power?

Who like yourself my guide and stay can be?

Through cloud and sunshine, O abide with me.

I have no fear with you at hand to bless,

Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness,

Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, your victory?

I triumph still, if you abide with me.

Hold now your cross before my closing eyes,

Shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies,

Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee,

In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

HYMN 652: Be Still, My Soul

(Tune: Finlandia)

Be still, my soul, for God is on your side,

Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.

Trust in your God, your saviour and your guide,

Who through all changes faithful will remain.

Be still, my soul, your best, your heavenly friend

Through stormy ways leads to a peaceful end.

Be still, my soul, your God will undertake

To guide the future surely as the past.

Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake,

All now mysterious shall be bright at last.

Be still, my soul, life’s tempests still obey

The voice that once the waves’ wild fury stayed.

Be still, my soul, the hour is hastening on

When we shall be forever in God’s peace,

When disappointment, grief and fear are gone,

Love’s joys restored, our strivings all shall cease.

Be still, my soul, when change and tears are past,

All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

HYMN 586: We Shall Go Out with Hope of Resurrection

(Tune: Londonderry Air / Danny Boy)

We shall go out with hope of resurrection,

We shall go out, from strength to strength go on,

We shall go out and tell our stories boldly,

Tales of a love that will not let us go.

We’ll sing our songs of wrongs that can be righted,

We’ll dream our dreams of hurts that can be healed,

We’ll weave a cloth of all the world united

Within the vision of new life in Christ.

We’ll give a voice to those who have not spoken,

We’ll find the words for those whose lips are sealed,

We’ll make the tunes for those who sing no longer,

Expressive love alive in every heart.

We’ll share our joy with those who still are weeping,

Raise hymns of strength for hearts that break in grief,

We’ll leap and dance the resurrection story,

Including all in circles of our love.

Reading: Celebration of Life Service for Louis Contant – Thursday, October 10, 2013

From Maya Angelou’s “Living Well, Living Good”

I realize that living well is an art which can be developed. Of course, you will need the basic talents to build upon: they are a love of life and ability to take great pleasure from small offerings, an assurance that the world owes you nothing and that every gift is exactly that, a gift. That people who may differ from you in political stance, sexual persuasion and racial inheritance can be founts of fun, and if you are lucky, they can become even convivial comrades.

Living life as art requires a readiness to forgive. I do not mean that you should suffer fools gladly, but rather remember your own shortcomings, and when you encounter another with flaws, don’t be eager to righteously seal yourself away from the offender forever. Take a few breaths and imagine yourself having just committed the action which has set you at odds.

Because of the routines we follow, we often forget that life is an ongoing adventure. We leave our homes for work, acting and even believing that we will reach our destinations with no unusual event startling us out of our set expectations. The truth is we know nothing, not where our cars will fail or when our busses will stall, whether our places of employment will be there when we arrive, or whether, in fact, we ourselves will arrive whole and alive at the end of our journeys. Life is pure adventure, and the sooner we realize that, the quicker we will be able to treat life as art: to bring all our energies to each encounter, to remain flexible enough to notice and admit when what we expected to happen did not happen.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Everything Has Its Time

1 To everything there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven:

2 A time to be born,

And a time to die;

A time to plant,

And a time to pluck what is planted;

3 A time to kill,

And a time to heal;

A time to break down,

And a time to build up;

4 A time to weep,

And a time to laugh;

A time to mourn,

And a time to dance;

5 A time to cast away stones,

And a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace,

And a time to refrain from embracing;

6 A time to gain, And a time to lose;

A time to keep,

And a time to throw away;

7 A time to tear,

And a time to sew;

A time to keep silence,

And a time to speak;

8 A time to love, And a time to hate;

A time of war, And a time of peace.

New King James Version (NKJV)

Psalm 121

God the Help of Those Who Seek Him

1 I will lift up my eyes to the hills—

From whence comes my help?

2 My help comes from the LORD,

Who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not allow your foot to be moved;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

4 Behold, He who keeps Israel

Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD is your keeper;

The LORD is your shade at your right hand.

6 The sun shall not strike you by day,

Nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;

He shall preserve your soul.

8 The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in

From this time forth, and even forevermore.

New King James Version (NKJV)

Choir: Irish Blessing

Music: Kate Moran Bart

An Old Irish Blessing

May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind always be at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

and rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

* * * * * * * * * *

It is with much sadness that we announce the passing of Louis Contant at the age of 83. He leaves behind his beloved wife and partner of nearly 30 years, Wilma Brown. He will be greatly missed by his nieces Arlene and Suzanne, and nephews Chris, Mark and Brian; Wilma’s siblings Judy (René), Jerry (Jean), Verni, and Wally (Jazz); and countless acquaintances and friends, including Jerry B., Rod M., John P., Mike B., Mike C., Steve T. and Susie S., Steve R., Dirk K., Bill E., Liliane B., Chris W., Alanna H., Audrey S., Kathie R., Silvia and Matti T. He was predeceased by his brother John. Louis was born in Winnipeg to Anne Marie (Côté) and Alfred Contant. He also lived a number of years in Vancouver and England before settling in Montreal in 1963. He worked at the Vanier College Bookstore from 1970 until his retirement in 1993. Louis was a reader, a writer, a poet, a musician, and a philosopher who truly loved people and nature. Visitation will be Wednesday, October 9 from 2 to 5 pm and 7 to 9 pm at Collins Clarke MacGillivray White Funeral Home, 5610 Sherbrooke West, Montreal (H4A 1W5). A Service to celebrate Louis’ life will take place Thursday, October 10 at 2 pm at Montreal West United Church, 88 Ballantyne North, Montreal West (H4X 2B8). On Friday, October 11 at 11 a.m., some of Louis’ ashes will be placed in a niche at the Montreal Memorial Gardens/Les Jardins Urgel Bourgie, 3955 Côte de Liesse, Ville St-Laurent (H4N 2N6). People are invited for any or all of the above. Sincere thanks to Dr. Shireen Sirhan and all the caring staff of the Oncology Treatment Centre at St. Mary’s Hospital and the homecare professionals provided by CLSC, Mount Sinai Hospital, and NOVA. In lieu of flowers, a donation to the Vanier College Foundation or a charity of your choice would be appreciated.

To read Louis Contant's complete biography and service details, please go to:

www.mem.com