Mr. Réjean Denoncourt

Réjean is predeceased by his wife Flora Jean (Sullivan) and his older siblings Jacques and Monique. He is survived by his four children Janice, Julie, Raymond and Réjean, his four grandchildren Martin, Alex, Louis and Mireille and his brother Pierre.

Joseph Louis Honoré Réjean was born in Montreal, grew up in Notre-Dame de Grace (NDG), and attended École Secondaire St. Henri. A highlight of his youth was visiting his mother's family and their butcher shop in Vaudreuil by train almost every weekend, and helping to cut the lake ice in winter to store in sawdust to deliver to people's ice boxes in the summer. Another fond memory was picking up a chicken for Sunday dinner at the Chalet BBQ on Sherbrooke St.

In the late 1950s, Réjean (aka Ray and Reggie) was a star catcher in the Snowdon Major Fastball League with the Pepsi-Cola and Dow teams, and routinely played before thousands. In 1958, he was named a World All-Star while playing at the ASA Men’s Major Fast Pitch Nationals in the United States. He was an avid baseball fan, and fondly remembered seeing Jackie Robinson play with the Montreal Royals at Jarry Park.

After graduating cum laude from the École Polytechnique de Montréal in 1961, where he played hockey for Les Carabins, he began his career as a civil engineer with the Ville de Montreal, working in the city's traffic division until his retirement. He particularly enjoyed attending the gatherings of the Institute of Transportation Engineers at cities across North America, and was proud of organizing the Montreal convention in 1971.

Known as a generous, gregarious bon-vivant, he savored going to restaurants, and, when on vacation in Paris, took as much pleasure in reading every menu he passed as they walked about. Though he enjoyed Montreal's nightlife, he also cherished family gatherings with his brothers and sister. Reg was an avid jazz lover, taking his wife and family to many concerts over the years. As a quintessential Montreal man, even honored as a "Montrealer of the Week", he enjoyed many evenings at Charlie Biddle's jazz club, often followed by a smoked meat sandwich at Ben's. The Montreal International Jazz Festival was always the highlight of his summers. A big Oscar Peterson, Oliver Jones and Ranee Lee fan, he seemed to know every jazz musician in town.

Always a very active member of his community, he coached hockey and baseball for many years in the West Island, himself playing softball in the summer. He played hockey most of his adult life for the NDG Oldtimers and continued to referee games before finally hanging up his skates at around 80 years old. A big part of his retirement involved being President of the Snowden Oldtimers Association, organizing many events, luncheons and dinners for its members, their families and friends; he loved seeing his old teammates as often as possible, keeping everyone informed with regular newsletters that were always well-received.

The family wishes to extend a very special thank you to the kind and supportive staff at the Residence Rasam in Beaconsfield. A celebration of his life and funeral service will be held at June 7, 11 a.m. at St. Edmund of Canterbury Parish, 105 Beaconsfield Blvd, Beaconsfield, with a reception to follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Montreal Cardiology Institute are welcome. May he rest in peace.

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