Victor Joseph Barbeau of Troy, Michigan passed away peacefully on Thursday, March 14, 2024 at the age of 97, just weeks shy of his 98th birthday. Victor was born on May 2, 1926 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He was the eldest son of Edmour and Marguerite Barbeau (née Dumont).
The beloved patriarch of the family is survived by his daughters, Joanne (Richard) Caselli, Lucie (Thomas) Barber, Michele Ritter, Sandra (Steven) DePuys and step-daughter Cheryl (David) Barth. His 11 cherished grandchildren, Brittany Caselli, Nicole (Jeremy) Hong, Christopher Caselli, Sarah (Andrew) Marsoupian, Kyle (Jessica) Ritter, Dean (Maria) Ritter, Alaina DePuys, Courtney DePuys, Luke DePuys, Catherine (Paul) Wheatley and Charlotte (Will) Burmeister. His loving 10 great-grandchildren, Roman Marsoupian, Aria Marsoupian, Nolan Ritter, Riley Ritter, Sydney Hong, Kane Ritter, Clara Burmeister, Millie Burmeister, Roland Burmeister and Isla Wheatley.
He is also survived by his siblings, Meryle Barbeau, Thelma Leonard, Laurette Delorme and Denis (Pauline) Barbeau and many extended family members.
He was preceded in death by his parents and devoted step-mother Abigail. His wives, Marguerite (1975) and Cecile (2022), and siblings Marcel Barbeau and Corinne LeClerc.
Victor began working at Canadair while in his teens where he apprenticed as a tool and die maker and became a skilled craftsman. He married Marguerite Turcotte in 1951. In 1957, they decided to temporarily move to Michigan with their young family. Ten years later, Victor and Marguerite were thoroughly enjoying the American life-style with their four daughters and decided to make the United States their permanent home. Sadly, his wife Marguerite passed away of multiple myeloma in 1975. Victor would continue living in the Sunburst family home in Warren, Michigan for a total of 44 years before moving to Clinton Township in 2001.
Victor began dating Cecile Demers in 1976 and they were married in 1986. Both greatly enjoyed their travels to California, Arizona, Hawaii and Vancouver as well as many road trips to Montreal visiting family. Cecile passed away in 2022 of Alzheimer’s disease.
During the pandemic isolation of 2020 he was gifted an iPad and at the age of 94 became proficient at using it as a connection to the outside world. Victor loved playing chess with family members both in person and virtually. He was extremely competitive and remains the Chess Champion of the family! Victor was always extremely resourceful and found solutions for any project. A true MacGyver! His engineering skills still prevailed as he recently gave detailed instructions on how to adjust his wheelchair.
Victor was a proud French-Canadian who consistently spoke French to his family since it was important to preserve the language. He would easily transition to English with his charming French accent whenever necessary. Victor was a devout Catholic with a personal relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He has left many with an abundance of memories and a blueprint for living a life full of passion and purpose. He will deeply be missed by everyone who knew him.
A visitation for Victor will be held Monday, March 25, 2024 from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Resurrection Funeral Home, 40800 Hayes Road in Clinton Township. On Tuesday, March 26, 2024, Victor’s life will be celebrated with a funeral mass at 9:30 a.m. at St. Michael Catholic Church located at 40501 Hayes Road in Sterling Heights. Family and friends may visit the church beginning at 9:00 a.m. Victor will be laid to rest at Resurrection Cemetery in Clinton Township, Michigan.
Memorial donations may be made in memory of Victor to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation - https://themmrf.org. The Alzheimer’s Association - https://www.alz.org/mglc/donate or the Arthritis Foundation - https://arthritis.org.
