Stella Pinel

Our Mother, Stella Anne Marie Dumont was born on December 8, 1917, in Ponteix, a small French community in southern Saskatchewan, to Alice Labrie and Euclide Dumont. The oldest of 16 children, she helped her mother in the house, and because she loved school, she still managed to get her high school diploma. Her surviving siblings are Laurent, Marguerite, Rose Alma, Louise, Jeanne and baby brother Michel. She married on November 12, 1935, to Jules Emile Pinel and together had 7 children, Jeanne, Simonne, Georges, Alcide, Laurianne, Leona and Julie. At the time of her passing, she had 25 grandchildren, 41 great grandchildren and 2 great great grandchildren. She spent many years traveling and visiting her children, as we were spread around Canada and the U.S. This also gave her the opportunity to have an active role in the lives of her grandchildren and great grandchildren. At her 100th birthday she was able to meet her latest and newest great grandbaby; she was thrilled! Of the many values she had taught us through the years, one that always stood out is that family is important. Our mother enjoyed the smallest pleasures in life … flowers, ice cream, travel, playing music, sewing and her many hats. Her passion for travel took her to many places in around the world; to name a few: Germany, France, Rome, South Korea and many other places throughout North America. She so enjoyed taking time to visit her children, siblings, and extended family. She was a hard worker and was never afraid to challenge herself. In her 50’s she learned to swim, skate, clogging and also added 2 more musical instruments, clarinet and harmonica, to her already vast repertoire which included accordion and chord organ. Even though we never had much, she would insist that we either learn to sing, play music or dance. Her career was varied, from working in a nursing home, a group home for troubled teens and having boarders. Her faith was very important to her; not only by attending Church, but teaching us how to be a good person, helping others and choosing right from wrong. She always had a welcoming home to everyone and taught us to do the same. I remember when I was a child she would open her door to less fortunate people in need of a warm meal and/or a place to stay for the night. What we had, she always shared. Maybe growing up in the Dirty Thirties had something to do with that. She recycled before anyone ever even knew the meaning of the word. Nothing was wasted. You always knew where you stood but she was open to change; She encouraged us all to do well at whatever we undertook; She helped to make us strong but caring; To work hard but take time to enjoy what life offered; And to persevere when things get tough; Thank you for all you taught us. Her humour was mischievous, but her smile was genuine. The family would like to thank Maryam Wiens, Stella’s granddaughter, who has been a great help arranging the funeral; daughter Simonne, who made the difficult phone calls to family; Julie’s husband, Jean, who has helped beyond measure and also been her rock; Janelle, Stella’s granddaughter, who helped when her grandma passed; her sisters Rose Alma and Marguerite for their guidance; Fr. Bettens and staff at Mary, Mother of the Church; Daria Watkin, Greg White, John Long and Henri DeSmat, for the beautiful music at her service; lastly, to all the staff at River Park Gardens (nurses, aides, recreation, spiritual care, cooks and cleaners)You took good care of her needs but also took time to form friendships. We thank God for having her among us for such long time. She impacted many lives and will always be remembered with Love by her family and those who had the privilege of meeting her.