Omer Henri Carriere

When Omer Henri Carrière’s name is mentioned, a common phrase that follows is - what a guy. What a guy indeed. He was kind, caring, happy and loving. He lived simply and honestly and had no enemies. He was slow to anger and quick to forgive. He was loved wherever he went and is remembered fondly by all who came into contact with him.

Omer came into the world on August 16, 1932. He was the last of 16 children born to Edmond and Edna Carrière of Corbeil. His older brothers and sisters were; Oscar, Edouard, Edmond, François, Eugene, Joseph, Hector, Marie, Rose, Rita, Donalda, and Sophie. Three of Omer’s siblings died very young - Normand, Therese and Lorenzo. From the moment he came into the world, he was loved and cherished and that continued until the day he died. His older sisters loved Omer and did everything for him – this included making his clothes and even his underwear. He once cried and cried because his sisters had made him girl underwear and he was a boy and wanted the same as his older brothers.

Omer was born and raised in Corbeil, Ontario. He had an especially close bond with his older brother François, who encouraged him to go to school and helped him find work and different jobs. François always wanted to give Omer every opportunity to succeed in life. They stayed close for all their lives, with François even coming to live with Omer and his family later in life.

Omer loved sports and especially loved playing baseball. He was often the first one chosen in the schoolyard teams. He passed this love of baseball on to his children, especially François, Denise and Mona. This love and passion for the sport has now been passed down to the next generations - Omer's grandchild Chantal and great grandchild Cole are both actively involved in playing ball so the Carrière passion and skill for this great sport continues.

Omer was first married to Lillliane Dufresne and they had 3 children together - Mona, Michel and Robert. After they separated, Omer met Theresa McDonald at a local dance in Toronto. Omer walked Theresa home and that was the beginning of their relationship: a connection that lasted until the day he died. Omer and Theresa were married and had 3 children together - François, Denise and Darlene.

Omer has 11 grandchildren (Sandy, Kimmie, Philippe, Micheline, Heather, Caroline, Angelique, Robert, Chantal, Nicholas and Gabrielle, as well as 6+ Great Grandchildren - Taylor, Cole, Cailin, Layla, Ava and Declan (who was still on the way at the time of his passing). He had a particularly strong bond with his Granddaughter Gabrielle. Omer and Gabrielle were born on the same day (August 16), 80 years apart. There was always room on Poppa’s lap for baby Gabrielle. Their connection was undeniable and she could always bring a big smile to his face.

Omer had a kind and caring soul. He was sensitive and a good listener and he had a special bond with many. He would help anyone who asked for it, willingly and without hesitation. His easy-going nature endeared him to all he met. Omer has been a father-figure to many, especially his niece and Godchild Christina Cook (Staniewski). He is the favourite Uncle and Christina and her sister Julia would spend many summers with Omer at the cottage; playing in the lake, painting, repairing eaves troughs, and watching lots of Blue Jays Baseball.

Omer had a varied resume which included many different jobs and careers. His first job was working at a Bakery – he loved it but he found the early starts really tough. He worked at a Gas Station and remembers writing customers names on the credit slips. His brother François helped him get a job on the Railway and he absolutely loved working there – his favourite job by far. He would clean the coal bays and do maintenance on the steam engines. There were times when Omer would work really hard but there were other times when he could also sneak a nap in, and he did so at every opportunity! The introduction of diesel train engines meant his favourite job soon came to an end and he was forced to change careers. Family was involved once again as Omer started working as a roofer with his cousin Mando. He tarred the roof of many buildings, including Laurentian University, which his daughter Denise would later attend during her university studies.

After leaving the roofing industry, Omer became a driver for Heather & Little. He delivered supplies all over Toronto. He even contributed to the building of the CN Tower in Toronto, as he delivered a load of supplies for the super structure. Omer would regularly drive the truck home where François, Denise and Darlene would love climbing all over it. The last industry Omer worked in was his job as a Sheet Metal worker. He put siding up on many different buildings including the North Bay shopping centre. Sheet Metal Local 30 presented Omer with a ring for his years of valued service and he continued to be a member right up to the time of his death.

Omer had few hobbies but he certainly loved his cars. He loved to tinker and fix them up. He loved to drive them to their limits and even a bit further. One time Omer had to get rid of one of his cars because he just couldn’t drive it slow and he was getting too many tickets – when they could catch him! There was one time when he flew past a police car so fast that they didn’t even bother chasing him because they knew they would never catch him. Ohhhhhh, he loved his cars and we are thankful that he could share his love of cars with his sons François and Bobby. Both boys have several cars and are known to get under the hood and mess around – all in the name of improved performance.

Omer was changing his car oil and brake pads right into his late 70’s – his son François would also lend a hand. 'Hey Dad, do you have all tools ready?' "Oh ya ya' - they'd get started, 'ok, hand me a 15mm socket' ... he would search around and bit then say 'Oh, just a minute', and he would shuffle off to find one in the garage. François remembers these times with his Dad fondly.

Some of Omer’s favourite cars were the Ford ‘54 and his prized Buick. Once we were looking through a photo album trying to figure out which relatives were pictured and we came across a picture of 2 women and 2 children and Dad says - oh, oh, oh! 'Do you know who these people are?' we enquired, 'No, but look at my old car! Oh, I really liked that car.' What a guy!

Another of Omer’s great loves was music. He taught himself how to play guitar and was a very good singer. Omer loved playing it and he loved listening to it. Family gatherings always meant the guitars, banjos, etc came out and the singing began. His children say some of their fondest early memories were of their Dad getting out the guitar to strum a tune and sing a song. He played acoustic and electric guitar and was always entertaining. He played for friends, he played with relatives, he played for strangers and he played for the love of music in his soul. When Omer came to town and brought out his guitar, people would come from all over to join in the fun and dance and be entertained. He has passed on his love of singing and playing music to his daughter Mona who sings and his daughter Denise, who plays guitar and sings. Denise and Omer would play and sing together in the basement - those were special times and are cherished memories. We can trace Omer’s musical talents back to his ancestry – Pierre Jamme dit Carrière (1662-1740), who was also noted to be musically talented.

Omer’s love of playing music was matched by his love of listening to music. He loved listening and playing music and would tap his foot along to his favourite songs and sing loudly and proudly. He had 8-track tapes, reel-to-reel recorders, cassettes and cd’s full of his favourite country songs. His cars, trucks and vans always had a stereo that could be cranked up to play all his music loud and clear. Our neighbour at the cottage in Temiskaming once told of a time when he was working outside and could hear a car in the distance with the radio blaring and cranked up to full volume. He thought it must be some young guys out for a joyride. The music got closer and louder, until down the driveway came Omer's Montana van just a-bouncing, with Conway Twitty, Singing 'she's a good hearted woman in love with a good timing man'. He pulled up in front of the cottage, hopped out and still humming the song, shuffled his way into the cottage. Our neighbour was speechless - he still laughs about this today.

Speaking of the cottage – there once was an old barn that was converted into a little shack on the Shores of Temiskaming, near the end of Jawbone Bay. This is affectionately known to all the Carrière’s and friends as ‘The Cottage’. Many summers were spent at the cottage, making mud cakes, swimming in the lake, going for boat rides, the excitement of putting it the Big Boat, visiting relatives and just enjoying the serenity of being out in the bush. As soon as the first signs of spring started to break through the winter frost, thoughts turned to when the cottage should be opened and all the little jobs that needed to be attended to.

The cottage was a meeting place for family and friends. Omer’s daughter Denise held an annual ‘Party Cottage Weekend’ during her university days, where over a dozen friends would drive from all over Ontario to meet up at the cottage. Great times and great memories. Dad was always involved in some way – preparing the cottage, cutting the grass or lending Denise his truck for transport. Whatever was needed, he found a way to help provide it. What a guy.

As the years passed, Omer and his daughter Darlene spent most of each summer down at the cottage. The spent the winter planning and saving for all the things they wanted to do that summer. Omer would get on the exercise bike in the basement and pedal during commercials so he would be fit and ready to walk up and down to the lake when summer came. Days at the cottage were spent swimming, going for boat rides, mowing the lawn with the ride on mower, barbequing, eating, landscaping, landscaping again, and landscaping a few more times. Omer was also chief babysitter for the grandchildren when at the cottage. There are many pictures that captured Poppa asleep on the job.

The cottage has undergone a serious transformation over the years – it began as a 2 room shack, then Omer renovated, adding another bedroom and living area that had a wood stove and a nice, big window that looked out over the lake. It stayed this way for the next couple of decades, then Omer and Darlene decided that they needed more space so that the whole family (Omer & Theresa, François, his wife Laura and their daughter Chantal, Denise and also Darlene with her 2 children Nicholas and Gabrielle) could all enjoy and stay at the cottage at the same time. The next stage of its life involved raising the cottage to add 2 more bedrooms, a living space, storage and laundry downstairs. Wow, what a change! Omer enjoyed watching TV downstairs as it was always cool and he could watch it nice and loud without disturbing everyone.

Omer’s love of the cottage was right up there with his love of the Toronto Blue Jays. He loved this team and never missed watching the games. During ball season, his daily schedule was governed by when the Blue Jays were playing. If there was an event to be planned, Omer was there; as long as he could be home in time to watch the Blue Jays play. If a BBQ was being organised, you had to try to make sure that the game was on the TV playing in the background. He loved his ball games and was a fan right to the end.

Omer was a man of faith and lived his life trying to be the best person he could be. He was Roman Catholic and a member of the St John Fisher Church, in Brampton. Omer was slow to anger and quick to forgive. His faith was important to him and even when at the cottage he would turn on the TV and watch the 8:30am mass service.

He was a man who had a lot of love to give and his pets have always held a special place in Omer’s heart. He cared about his family and he cared about his dogs. Anyone who has ever shared a meal with Omer while the dogs are around, would certainly have a memory that's hard to forget. He would have his plate or bowl of food (piled up double so the puppies wouldn't miss out) and he would be basically surrounded by pets - each waiting their turn for the little mouthful. Now, Omer was a bit hard of hearing so the pets would make sure they were in his line of sight or jump up and down so as not to be missed or forgotten. He felt so bad when he was trying to eat less, because the puppies were missing out too.

There were many adventures involving the pets. Tinkerbell was one of the first dogs our family owned and she was a gentle but tough little puppy. She always wanted to be with her master and would sometimes scamper out the door, following Omer without anyone noticing. This resulted in Tinker being run over by Dad’s little red truck, not once but twice! She thankfully survived these incidents but also suffered heat stroke when she was left in the car during a visit with Uncle Francis. A quick trip to a vet in North Bay saved the day. Tinkerbell lived a good, long life and is buried in the backyard of the family home.

Lady Pandora (aka – Goobers) was another dog very close to Omer’s heart. One of his favourite meals was spaghetti and after Dad ate, Goobers would have an orange spaghetti beard that lasted for a week. Life has a funny way of giving you what you need, not necessarily what you want – it seems our family needed more dogs to love. Darlene had the great idea to mate a couple of dogs and sell the puppies. Indi and Spider got together and created Scout, Angel, Little Girl and Dopey. Little Girl probably holds the most special spot in Omer’s heart. He loved that little Jack Russel terrier. Little Girl would sit in his arms, lick the salty sweat from his face and basically get away with any behaviour she wanted, because Dad would say it was ok. It was a very sad and emotional day when Little Girl died and Omer said he did not want another pet because the heartache was too much to go through again. Angel was still on the scene and she soon bonded strongly with Omer and she became what was to be his final pet. Wherever Omer travelled, he was accompanied by one of the pets. Long car rides were normal and he loved the company. There were treats to give out and conversations to be had and lots of love to give. Omer loved his pets and they loved him.

The final chapter in Omer’s life concluded at his beloved cottage. At the time, he was active and happy and his death was sudden and unexpected. He died of a heart attack on September 1, 2015 at his favourite place, The Cottage in Temiskaming, Quebec. He made one last journey back home from the cottage for the funeral service that was held at Andrews Funeral Home in Brampton. Omer was laid to rest at Glendale Memorial Gardens, in the Good Shepherd Garden, on September 8, 2015.

Omer will be remembered as caring, humble, gentle man who had no enemies and friends a plenty. He had a calmness about him and when people would get worked up or in a fluster he would so often say - "Shhhhhh - I'm ok, you're ok, there's no need to get upset." We must try to remind ourselves to apply this way of thinking more regularly to our everyday lives. With the passing of Omer H Carrière, the world lost an incredible and loving man who was an amazing Husband, Father, Godfather, Grandfather, Great Grandfather, Uncle, Great Uncle, cousin and friend.

Rest In Peace - Omer Henri Carrière - What a guy!

Memories of Dad: by Darlene Carrière

The greatest man I ever knew was my father Omer. He taught me so much and gave me a love for so many things. I loved all the times at the cottage and at home fixing and building things, but most of all he taught me patience and how to relax and enjoy life. I remember our last year of high school, we were able to take the car to school. Well someone had keyed the drivers’ side from bumper to bumper. I got home all upset and crying thinking how much trouble I was going to get into for not looking after the car. Dad just looked at me and said "are you ok, you’re not hurt"? I said “no, but the car has a big scratch”. Dad just looked at me and said "it's just a car, I can fix that don't worry about it. As long as you’re ok everything will be fine". That was my Dad. Don't worry everything will be fine. That was one of the many times I realized what a great man my father was. Few people get the love and support that he gave to everyone he met. Children, dogs, people; they all loved when my father walked through the doors. I will miss him every day of my life. I love you Dad - your baby girl Darlene

Another memory was Dad just got a brand new guitar. Denise and I were fighting about something and we jumped on Dads’ new guitar and broke it. That was the only time that Dad was upset with us, but even then it was just a guitar everyone was ok, he did try to fix it and we still have that guitar.

Memories of Dad: By Mona Mathura

I remember watching the Invisible Man TV show together….

Dad would come and pick us up, Bob & me, to go visit Mike in Temiscamingue. Once, he wanted me to get something from the car and I had the key but Mike wanted to un-lock it. I argued that Dad gave me the key to get the stuff and in the scuffle the key got bent in the lock. It came out but it was bent. He must have had a spare because although he showed some displeasure he was cool as a cucumber.

Then, another time, Dad & I were in the house at Uncle Francis’ and Mike & Bob came in frantically screaming something about the car. Everyone went to the window to check out what they were ‘frantic’ about and saw Dad’s car in the ditch at the bottom of the hill. Apparently, Mike, maybe 10-11 at the time, was trying to teach Bob about the driving mechanics of a car and he told him “Whatever you do don’t pull this handle down” while he’s pulling it down and in so doing puts the car in drive…..Must be why the manufacturers now ensure that the gears are locked when the car is turned off!! The men went out to try to figure out how to get the car out of the ditch which they finally managed to do after some time. I don’t remember him ever really raising his voice at them.

I remember going to Aunt Sophie’s and everyone would be singing, playing guitar, banjo and of course Aunt Sophie would yodel like no other. I truly enjoyed listening to Dad sing. I thought he could easily be on the radio. He was just as good as those guys. He tried to get me to sing now and again but for some reason, I was too shy to sing in front of family. I did sing in the church choir every Sunday and was so happy when one Christmas he came to midnight mass and listened to me sing a solo – Les anges dans nos campagnes . (English translation: Angels We Have Heard on High).

I asked Dad to teach me how to play the guitar. He said he wanted me to learn the right way with lessons as he never had that opportunity and thought he would have benefited from them. Years later, my son Phil wanted a guitar and we happily gave him an electric guitar for Christmas. One day, I passed by his room and was surprised that he was playing the guitar. I thought he was listening to the radio or a tape. He was good. Told him we’ll look at lessons. A couple of weeks later, I talked to him about going to lessons and he told me “Mom, I talked with my friends and they’ve been taking guitar lessons for years and they say that they could never play as well as me so I don’t see the point”. I told him he got that talent from his grandfather….. I watch him with his baby daughter and he reminds me of Dad with his tenderness and watchful but not intrusive eye.

He always treated me with respect as a child, a teenager then as an adult. I have always tried to do the same with my children and now grandchildren. I also believe that you command respect by being respectful of others. He lived that.

I called him for Father’s Day 2015 and excitedly told him that my grandson Cole had just started to play Little League Baseball and he’s so good. He almost made the AAA after just 6 weeks… I told Dad that I was happy because Baseball was my game as a kid. I used to play every recess at school to which Dad says “Me too!! Me and Donald were the best players and every recess the bat and ball came out..” I thought Wow, it really is all in the family – Dad, me, Denise, Cole, Chantal… anyone else???

Even though I was not privileged to have spent my childhood years with him (only days here and there), the more I talked to him and the more I hear others reminisce, the more I find that I picked up some of his qualities regardless of life circumstances. For that I feel truly blessed.

We have truly lost a kind gentle soul when he left this earthly realm. The Earth certainly needs more people like Dad. So sad that he’s gone so soon… but I do believe that they are all having a big party in the Heavenly Realms - at our expense I might add - and we will all meet again in the future. He may be gone to us, but his talents and other legacies live on in his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

À la prochaine, Dad - Love, Mona

Memories of Omer: By Chan Carrière

I want to thank you for stopping in to visit with us in North Bay on

your way to the cottage. Those moments will remain precious with Bob and his family.

I remember the one time you stayed over and you went fishing with Bob,

I cooked the fish after and you said it was the best fish you ever tasted - I still use that recipe...

Thanks for the memories.

Your legacy for collecting steel and motors and old vehicles - I have to acknowledge

It has been passed on to my husband, Bob has a 5,000 square foot shop full of that stuff.

Unsure if it was a dream or a vision, You tapped me on the shoulder and said,

"Chan - you should see the video they are playing of me over there."

I feel certain you are Happy and enjoying the Party in Heaven.

When I think about YOU, I think about "That Big engulfing Hug"

Yes that is how I remember you.

Be Happy - that legacy is still here

you have passed that Hug on to Mona.

You will be missed! Thanks for the Memories

Please shine down on your children: Mona, Mike, Bob, Francis, Denise

and Darlene, All your adorable grandchildren and great

grandchildren.......+++.

Rest In Peace.

Chan Carrière

Memories of Dad by Bob Carrière

Uncle Francis loved to tell the story of Dad and me. When I was 7 or 8, Dad and I were sleeping on Uncle Francis’ couch one night, and I woke up falling onto the floor. Still half asleep I turned around and punched Dad in the face.

Uncle Francis laughed and laughed, while I thought I was going to get super serious trouble. Dad got up, went on with his day like nothing happened, and never spoke of it again. He was always slow to anger, understanding and quick to forgive.

Really miss him - Bob

Memories of Omer: By Goddaughter - Christina Cook:

Uncle Omer was my Godfather and obviously my Uncle. He taught me many things in life and I would like to share some of those valuable lessons and memories.

Let’s take a trip down memory lane, to when I was just a wee baby; my Mom asked Aunt Theresa & Uncle Omer to be my Godparents, as some of you might not know, my birthday is smack dab in the middle of January. With our lovely Canadian winters and my family living in the metropolis of Mount Forest aka ‘the middle of nowhere’; there of course was a huge storm moving in. Uncle Omer braved the storms to make sure he was there for me right from the beginning. I’m sure Aunt Theresa was in the passenger seat cursing at his driving and Uncle Omer would have just looked over at her and said “relax Theresa, everything is alright” in the calmest voice ever, as he was hitting 3 foot high snow drifts.

Let’s fast forward a few years now to my first memories of going to the cottage. I remember my Mom telling about how it was going to be a long drive and that she would wake me up when we got to the Quebec border – well I was sound asleep and missed the whole thing. Mom woke me up when we arrived at the cottage and all I remember asking was if we were at a hotel – I couldn’t believe how nice it was. Uncle did a great job turning that little shack into something real special. Well that cottage trip led to the next and the next thing you know, it was like a second home to me. I spent most of my summers there with Uncle Omer and Darlene (better known as ‘weasel’). As I moved up the cottage seniority list, I was promoted to ‘weasel in training’. Well it wasn’t all fun and games getting the promotion! As you might know, Uncle had a lot of ‘treasures’ at the cottage and one of his most valued treasures being the piles and piles of metal. I cannot recollect how many times that precious metal had to be moved from one spot to the next. All I can say is P90X doesn’t have anything on Uncle Omer’s metal moving workout! He did treat us well, being a good union man and never scolded us for turning our 15 minute swim break into an hour and a half. He would eventually come down to the dock and ask how our swim was (we knew this was code for ‘are you almost done?’). He instilled a good work ethic in me and even got me sorted out on my own little entrepreneurship (that was when I got my second promotion) – CEO of Can Crushing. Uncle would take all my crushed pop cans to the scrap metal yard in North Bay and got me some cash for the summer to spend on our ‘treats’ when we went to the corner store to get his paper every day.

In the evening, Uncle enjoyed watching his ball game. We were always there to bug him but he was a smart man and knew that if he was going to be able to watch the game in peace, he would have to get rid of us so he got us hooked on fishing. Almost every night, just before the ball game started, we packed our fishing gear like the anglers we were and headed out. We would arrive home with our catch of the day to not only hear but feel the cottage a rockin’ with Uncle’s tunes. He would quickly try to get everything shut down before we entered the cottage and prepared for our biology lesson. He taught me how to fillet a fish but not only that; being the gross kid I was, he helped me dissect the stomach to see what critters our catch had eaten. In the event our fishing trip being cancelled or the Blue Jays game not on TV, we would gather around the TV to enjoy movie night together. I have fond memories of Uncle Omer chuckling at the movie “Captain Ron”. I will never forget that laugh!

He was always game for our ice cream sundaes we made during movie night and never shied away from a little extra of his favourite vanilla ice cream in his bowl. He really did have a sweet tooth. I remember baking pies and putting one and a half times the amount of sugar in them and Uncle saying “it was good just needed a bit more sugar”.

He really was a sweet man. He was one of the kindest and gentlest people of all time. He never spoke a harsh word about anyone or anything. I am so thankful for all the memories I shared with him and all the lessons he taught me! He truly was an amazing man and will be greatly missed.

XX Christina