James Charles Gosselin

It is with great sadness that we announce that after a long and fulfilling life, James Charles Gosselin, 91, of Winnipeg Manitoba, passed away on March 2nd 2025.

He is survived by his brothers: Bob, Michael and Stewart, his children: Bradley and Brenda, his grandchildren: Ryan, Jovan and Amy, great grandchild: Oliver.

James was predeceased by his parents Charles and Mary Gosselin.

James was born on December 2nd, 1933 at St. Boniface hospital in Winnipeg Manitoba. James attended King George the fifth school, while he definitely wasn’t the class valedictorian; he relied more on being the funny guy in the class.

James when he was younger worked as a helper at Oliver’s body shop. Then when he was old enough, he got a job at Canada Packers where he worked for 30+ years and retired when the plant closed down.

James grew up in St. Boniface at 473 Giroux Street, where he had many friends. He went on his share of dates before he met the love of his life Phyllis. At first she thought James talked too much and was loud, but after many requests to go out on a date, Phyllis finally agreed, and after almost 5 years of dating, they were married on June 14th 1958. Once they were married they wanted to buy a house, and the house they decided on, really wasn’t too far to move his belongings. They ended up buying the house that was four doors down from his parents’ house, at 485 Giroux Street, where they raised their two children Bradley and Brenda.

Niagara Falls for their honeymoon, a train ride out to Grand beach Pavillion to dance the night away or riding the ski lift in Banff were some of their shared memories together. To get an escape from the cold Winnipeg weather, Phyllis and James would head to Acapulco, where they went to that same hotel each year. They were even honored with a town city hall party for going 25 years straight. There they became like family to the hotel staff and met many friends from all over Canada. They would keep in touch and visit each other for many years to come.

James loved watching hockey, having a friendly rivalry with his father. While James would cheer for Montreal Canadiens, his dad cheered for Boston Bruins. Watching hockey night in Canada on a Saturday night was great, but he truly enjoyed going out to watch his son play hockey, even the outdoor games.

When summer came around, Grand Marais was his favorite place; he took great pride in fixing up the cottage they had bought and also enjoyed spending time watching the children swim and play. When the cottage was sold, Phyllis and James bought a little trailer and became part of a little trailer park community in Grand Marais, Phyllis liked that there was no fixing things for James, just go out each weekend and have fun.

In his 70’s James was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, which would change his life. He coped with the disease as best he could, until finally the time came where he would have to go into a care home. For just over 11 years the staff at Action Marguerite cared for James.

And the family would like to express their heartfelt thanks to the staff of Actionmarguerite 5ABC for their care and kindness during James stay with them, up to his final days.

Thank you.