Marcel Renaud

By Marlene & Don Munroe

His Brothers & Sisters called him “Marce”

For some of us, it was: “Hey Reno”

A most precious few called him Grandpa

There were only 2 who called him Dad

And only one who could call him Husband……………….In truth, Christine called him many names….

To many, he was known as “Shorty”

But to us, he was a giant amongst men

Everyone here today has wonderful memories of Marcel Renaud, and each of us can claim to have enjoyed a special relationship with him. Once having met him, and even having spent just a few moments in his presence, it is easy to understand the influence that he had on everyone – be it through his humour or his many acts of kindness. It is no exaggeration when we say that Marcel has impacted the lives of us all.

There are countless stories & memories, and paying tribute to him is both easy, and difficult. It’s easy because there is so much to share – but at the same time, it’s difficult because there just isn’t enough time to discuss his full 91 years. In any event, we hope that our words will be adequate as we try to honour him:

We could speak about his childhood – like the time many years ago when, as children, they decided one day to take some house paint & paint some stripes on their family dog, Lulu. They were just kids having fun, and they just wanted to see what Lulu would look like as a zebra. You can only imagine the trouble they got into. Grandpa told us that as the eldest, he accepted all the responsibility & took the brunt of the punishment himself, sparing the others……..at least that’s the way he remembered it.

There are many other stories about his younger years and what it was like growing up, and it would really be best to hear about some of these right from the ones that were there growing up with him – most of his siblings are here today. We hope that after the service, each of them would have a memory or 2 that they could share privately.

No reflection of Marcel’s life could ever be complete without speaking about the Mistelbacher’s. Marcel first met this family when he went, with his father, to paint the Mistelbacher home in Prairie Grove. As a teenager, this is where he first met Christine – this is where he was first called “Shorty” – and for the next 75 years his relationship with that family became a significant part of his life story.

Whenever you think of Shorty, you will remember his infectious sense of humour, his teasing, his gags, his laugh - and that he had a label for everyone and spoke with words and phrases used only by him. I am not sure if we have ever heard anyone else say ”what the Sam Scratch” or “if I don’t see you in the spring, I’ll see you in the mattress”, but if they ever have, or if they ever do, we’ll bet that they heard it from Shorty, first…………we have all been made richer by his “Marcel-ism’s”, and we find ourselves using his phrases all the time.

We could speak of “the Trucker”. Many in attendance today worked with Marcel as his helper in the past – perhaps it was hauling furnaces or water tanks or air conditioners. Maybe it was helping out on the many moving jobs he took on, after work or on weekends. Or maybe it was dirt, or sand, or gravel for those who were doing landscaping – or maybe it was with him while hauling our assorted junk to the dump………………we are certain that there are an abundance of stories about what it was like to be his “hired help”, and that’s only assuming that you got paid………….?

How about Grandpa’s passion for his cars? At one time while living in Grande Pointe, in addition to his Cutlass & his Ford Ranger that were parked in his garage, his machine shed housed his 71 Chevy Impala, his 52 Chevy ½ ton, which was his restoration project, and 2 prized 1929 Ford Model A cars. Also, he had his Chevy 1 ton that he converted into a dump truck, and his motor home. That’s 8 vehicles (or 9 if you want to include his riding mower) and the miracle of this was that each vehicle was always shiny – all the time! Including the lawn tractor! Eventually, he agreed it was time to “downsize his fleet” – and we think it forced his Autopac Agent into an early retirement due to the severe reduction of business! Whenever it came to his vehicles, his only pet peeve was fingerprints on the windows – and now, whenever we wipe our grandchildren’s prints from our windows, we think of Grandpa……………..

Some of you may have travelled with Marcel & Christine, or taken a vacation with them, or gone camping somewhere - if you had, you will probably remember the experience as a real adventure, but always with a happy ending. We never really kept track, but it’s a fair estimate to say that we travelled together for at least 100,000 k’s by car over the years, and many more through the air & on cruise ships. When you get to spend this much time with others in such close quarters, you really get to know each other. You hear all kinds of stories, discover their passions, and learn all their likes & dislikes, too. In the 1970’s, Marcel did much of the driving. But sometime over the years, he gave up the driver’s seat and became the co-pilot, leaving the driving to others. As the miles & the years rolled by, he contented himself with enjoying the scenery, telling tales and being in charge of the music.

We fondly recall the Thursday evening when Christine produced a wrapper from a 3 pack of hand soap, which contained a coupon for a 1/2 price room at any Holiday Inn. “Hey Munroe” she said, “Where can we go to use this coupon?” We pulled out a highway map and within hours, we were on our way to Nashville, Tennessee. We drove all day Friday, found a participating Holiday Inn & were able to make the 7:00 PM Saturday night show at the Grand Ole Opry. It was a dream come true for Grandpa & Grandma because they were able to enjoy a parade of at least 20 famous performers, all singing their best songs. We knew that they were enjoying every minute because Grandpa was an “Early to bed & early to rise” kind of guy. But that night, we were part of The Grand Ole Opry Radio show and it was continuous until midnight. After that, it was the Gospel show – somehow we stayed awake until 2:00AM and left Nashville on Sunday morning – fortunately, it was a long weekend, and we made it back to Winnipeg by Monday night.

Grandpa’s love of music is well known – and he loved Country & Western. Someday, if you are lucky enough to make it to heaven, you should look him up. Just listen for a radio playing somewhere, belting out tunes by Johnny Cash, Gene Autry, Tammy Wynette, and George Jones. Grandpa won’t be hard to find: just look for the Angel with the big smile on his face, who will be sitting by the radio and tapping his foot, keeping time with the music.

Some might suggest that Grandpa was a bit of a pack-rat – but he preferred to think of himself as a Collector. There wasn’t much he didn’t collect and he accumulated all kinds of things over the years. Aside from the all the hats & badges and all the other stuff, his most profound “collection” was that of his many relationships. He always seemed to have time for everybody, and was always ready to lend a helping hand. He was loved universally & this is no surprise to anyone here today. As you can well imagine, the relationships that he shared with family were most precious. Children were drawn to his him wherever he went, and they felt safe in his company. With him, they discovered his special sense of play and understanding – always approachable & never judgmental – and they were always eager to do his bidding & to follow his example. Rarely was he a disciplinarian, but always their champion. He truly cherished his grandchildren & his great grandchildren – just spend one minute with any of them, and you will know how much they cared for their Grandpa and how much he will be missed…..

Don writes:

I want to tell you about “the Painter”. Some years ago, Marlene made some kind remarks to her Dad regarding a painting job that I was just completing. Her Dad replied: “that’s just the way I trained him.” I never forgot that moment and I will always remember the many hours he spent teaching me this craft. There was much to learn – sanding, crack-filling and the proper method to prepare any surface. It had to be right before any paint was applied because every job had to be done properly. It was usually my job to stir the paint, and to keep stirring until he said to stop. 10, then 15, and sometimes 20 minutes would go by as he would spread out the tarps, and set up the ladders or scaffolds. I would offer to help so that I could take a break, but my job was always to “keep stirring”. Eventually, he would check the paint, and then send me up the ladder to cut the edges with a brush, while he used a roller. That way he could follow me to make sure that the method was proper and that I continued to stir the paint along the way. He was meticulous, and he never left a mess for others to clean up.

But the real training was his lesson that no job is too trivial & that every job should be done to the best of one’s ability. He taught me that no person who performed these tasks was ever beneath me, and that every person brought something different and something of value. Everybody’s best effort is important, and everybody needs everybody else’s best for all of it to work.

So you see, the training that I got had something to do with painting, but a whole lot more to do with learning some life skills – I had to learn patience, diligence, self-discipline. Grandpa wasn’t just training me to be a painter, but to be humble, to be a better person, a better father & a better husband, and to be a better grandfather.

Grandpa, I am not sure how much of this has rubbed off, so until I get it right, I’ll just keep stirring the paint…………………

Dad was a very special human being who carried himself through life with a unique combination of grace and dignity. He and Christine started their journey at a very young age, from very humble beginnings. Like many of us, their life had its challenges and both of them faced their share of adversity. Never did he wallow in self-pity, or blame others for any misfortune or for any of life’s setbacks. He responded with hard work, kindness, courage and humility. Along the way, there may have been tears but his family could always count on his love and his laughter, and they could always trust that he would find a way.

As all of us are aware, Marcel was stricken with the onset of dementia. It was a sad day when he had to give up his driver’s licence and his corresponding loss of independence. But he accepted this with grace and dignity. His condition worsened and eventually, he became a resident of Tache Nursing Home. This too, and all the steps before & since, he accepted gracefully, and always retained his dignity.

Looking back, how fortunate we were to have him as a father & as a friend, and how different our lives would have been, if not for him. It is a struggle to find right the right words to express our gratitude. We have so much to Thank him for – he’s woven into the fabric of our lives and he will always define us as who we are & who we will become…………..How can we ever get over this loss?

Don writes:

To Marcel’s Brother’s & Sister’s: you have lost not just the eldest brother of your family, but the man who was truly a father figure to at least some of you. Until someone loses a brother like Marcel, it’s hard to realize the intensity of the pain you must be feeling……

To his Grandchildren & Great Grandchildren: you have lost your Grandpa and the eldest member of our family. You must try to understand that Grandpa’s passing is a part of life that must be endured and must be accepted. Most of us here have suffered the loss of a Grandparent and it’s not easy – it hurts, and there are really no other words that we can find that might help. All we can offer is a warm embrace and a promise to be there for you…..

To Marlene & Bunny: the loss of your Dad must feel like a void the size of an ocean and your grief must seem insurmountable. I know that your Dad meant the world to you and that these are just words…….But together, we must find some comfort knowing that Dad’s suffering is done, and that he will rest in peace. Somehow we must find some solace in the faith that he is in a better place………………..

To help fill the emptiness, here is a video called 91 years of memories………………