Madeleine Carere

On the eve of Mothers Day and just 2 weeks shy of celebrating her 95th birthday, Madeleine Jean d’Arc Carere passed away at home, surrounded by the love and attention of her children, the beauty and peace of her garden the early morning of May 13th.2023

Born Marie Madeleine Lapointe May 30th 1928 in Rouyn Noranda ,` Quebec, the 4th of 8 children (Gabrielle, Marcelle, Jean, Raymond , Louise, Paul and Michele) to a loving father and courageous mother , Madeleine became a second mother to her younger siblings at the age of 14 and her mother Fleurette, began work as a seamstress when illness meant a family move to Alymer ,Quebec.

Ever a quiet leader, Mom graduated with a baccalaureate in Nursing from the University of Ottawa in 1951. She was promoted to head nurse at the Ottawa General within 2 years . There she met young medical student Romolo Carere. They married in 1954 and later moved to Guelph where she raised 6 children and with her beloved husband taught us the importance of strong family bonds. She was an unwavering support to our father in devotion to his profession and to all of us as individuals.

As we grew , Mom returned to nursing, volunteered with children , helped to care for her mother- in- law Vincenza and served as a pastoral minister in the church. Devoted to her 13 grandchildren Matthew, Emily, Dominique, Andrew, Luke, Giacomo, Etienne, Eve, Madeleine , Bronwyn and Aiden, Nico and Marcus, their spouses and 5 great-grandchildren Annabella, Cosmo, Sophia, Jessica and Lu , she made a special point of getting to know their interests, spending time with each and asked of them often until her passing.

Mom accepted the challenge of Dad’s declining health with characteristic determination, supporting him to stay at home and live an active life until his death in early 2019 . She maintained and valued her strong connection to her siblings, enjoying their conversations in their native French and their attachment to roots in Val des Monts, Quebec.

Patient, keenly intelligent and fun loving , she was always there for all of us with an ear to listen , a word of comfort or guidance, a meal , a quip or a teasing remark. She loved her daily crossword puzzle and was an avid player of scrabble who usually came out on top. Devoted to her Catholic faith, when she could no longer attend the church she learned to find a service on line each day.

Mother was the anchor of our family and a powerful force in our lives, she taught us love, kindness, compassion, humour, responsibility and gratitude. We are grateful that we could spend time with her in the weeks leading up to her passing. We gathered at her home, admired her garden as it came to life and marvelled at the many creatures that joined us in visiting her: the colourful songbirds, the playful squirrels, the resident bunny and the 2 foxes that visited her yard each day.

We miss her dearly and will forever benefit from the many gifts she gave us. We approach the future without her as she would advise:”un jour a la fois “

Consistent with Moms wishes, a she will be buried at a later date in the family plot in Notre Dame-de-LaSalette, Quebec .

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the charity of your choice .

Her devoted children, Paula ( Frank ), Ron ( Wendy ), Claudia ( Peter), Marc ( late Helen), Monica and Cosmo(Karen )

Arrangements entrusted to Gilbert MacIntyre & Son Funeral Home, 1099 Gordon St, Guelph. Cremation has taken place. Condolences can be made online at www.gilbertmacintyreandson.com