Louis Henry Latour

He is survived by his beloved wife Gilberte (Gail) of 65 years, his loving children Robert (Linda), Ronald (Nicole), Janet (Greg), Sandra (Joe), his grandchildren Brian, Lisa (Cody), Jonathan, Laura (Ryan), Melissa, Ronald, Neil, Jolene (Aaron) and Brent and his great grandchildren Charlie, Trista, Ashton, Joshua, Georgia and Cheyenne. He is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and sisters-in-law Alice, Eveline, Loraine, Noella and Aline. He was predeceased by his mother Evelyn and his father Henry.

Pops met Mom in 1954 at Canadian Sportswear, where they were co-workers. They married in 1956, settled in St. Boniface where he built his own house, raised their family and remained until his death. He worked for CN Railway as a Carman from 1974 until his retirement in 1998. He was a very hard worker and did his best in everything he tried.

He enjoyed spending time with his family, golfing, bowling, bus trips, watching TV especially Judge Judy and Jeopardy, Friday night dinners and playing cards with friends, his favorite game was crib. His breakfast specialty was making flapjacks from scratch and they were enjoyed by everyone. Another favorite pastime was playing blackjack at the casino. He also enjoyed playing his guitar.

He had a great sense of humour and was always telling jokes and we all laughed at his jokes no matter how bad they were. He always had a fire going in his garage where he spent many hours tinkering on cars or building stuff for his family.

One of our favourite memories was our annual Easter trip to Moose Jaw to visit Grandma. We would leave early in the morning and it was quite the adventure for the kids. The four of us would still be in PJs snuggled in a blanket, all lined up at the front door in order of birth. Bob, was first in line, followed by Ron, Janet and then Sandy. Dad would lovingly carry each child to the car, place us in the back seat and return to the house for the next one. As he was doing this, Mom was busy making toast and coffee for the trip. As Dad was getting the “down to the last kids”, the ones in the car would “sneak” back in the house and queue up at the back of the line, just to start the whole process again. This “trickery” would ensure that each kid got about two to three “rides” to the car before we left for Moose Jaw. Dad played along by teasingly saying to Mom “Gail, how many kids do we have?” Mom would reply “only four Louis” and continued wrapping the toast in wax paper for our trip to Grandmas. Our Dad was truly a family man. He absolutely loved his wife and kids and the home we had.

Whenever you would visit, it started and ended the same way, with a big hug. Even if he was sleeping in his chair when it was time to go, his arms were still wide open waiting for his goodbye hug. Those hugs are going to be greatly missed.

Louis was a great Husband, Dad, Grandfather, and Great Grandfather. Everyone who knew him loved him.

The family wishes to thank the staff of GD4 at Health Sciences Centre for the care provided to Pops.

In keeping with his wishes, Louis has been cremated. Due to COVID restrictions, funeral service and burial are pending. Flowers gratefully declined.