Eugene "Gene" Tessier

TESSIER, Eugene (Gene) Joseph - Passed away at his home on Friday May 20, 2016 in his 86th year. Known for his selflessness and generosity he was a proud, loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather and great-grand father. With the most contagious laugh and beautiful smile, lending a helping hand brought him true, wholehearted happiness. His immaculate yard work, done with the most care was always a reflection what a hard worker he was. He was always awaiting the warmer season for his gardens to bloom. Married to the love of his life Yola (Perugini) of 61 years, he truly adored her and was so proud of the life they built together. As a wonderful family man, he was the most loving and supportive father of Janet, Michelle Walls (Kevin) and David (Terri Lutes); the best papa of Bryan Pearse (Courtney), Errin and Alex; and new great-papa, of Bo, his generosity will be forever remembered. His strength and ability to build, fix and help, paired with his strong values of honesty and selflessness, made him the outstanding man that everyone looked to for the best advice. Son of the late Josephat Tessier and the late Leonora Bisson, brother of Albert and Fern (Simone), sisters Irene and Louise (Fern); predeceased by brothers Napolean (Agathe) and Robert. Son-in-law of late Egisto Perugini and late Maria Belmonte; brother-in-law of Lana Bacolini (Lloyd), Alba Kelsey (late Donald), Al Perugini (Aurora), Enis Perugini; predeceased by Erma, Gino (Adeline), Esther Piazza (Joseph), Leno, Johnny (Lisa) and Rena Cain (Earl). He will be sadly missed and fondly remembered by many nieces and nephews. Huge love for all of his fur-friends Izzy, Bennie, Oliver, Harlow, Ozzy, Gerry and Skyla that he often looked after. For everything he always taught and gave, his legacy will always be remembered and carried on through his loved ones. Words cannot express how much we will miss him. A private celebration of his life was held at Arthur Funeral Home & Cremation Centre on Friday, May 27, 2016 at 3 pm. Memorial contributions to the Soup Kitchen or Northern Critters In Need would be appreciated.

Janet Read:

Our farewell letter to you our beloved DAD.

You were the most amazing father and loved us unconditionally more than life itself. We know that without a doubt.

You raised a family and helped to raise grandchildren, and saw them grow to become responsible independent adults. You did an outstanding job while you were on this earth.

Michelle Read:

You were an awesome provider, we never wanted for anything. You were always a hard worker and so eager and willing to “lend a helping hand”, as you would so often say. You saw yourself declining, and less capable, the once simple tasks were becoming an overwhelming challenge as each day passed.

You felt you could no longer contribute… you believed your job here on this earth was done.

Janet Read:

Dad as a single mother you made sure that I was always ok. You taught me so much, how to maintain a home, fix things, use tools, but at the same time always did so many things for me on a daily basis. I would come home after a long day at the office to be surprised by my grass being cut, my shrubs trimmed, something broken fixed. If I needed my dogs let out because I was delayed; you were always just a phone call away. For this dad I will be forever grateful.

You were always the biggest supporter and fan of both me and Bryan. From the early morning hockey practices to the late night games and travels. I know how much you loved that. We loved it together.

I know how you enjoyed our trips together, whether it was for a tournament or our family time spent together going to Green Bay.

We know how much you loved the family being together and your laughter always filled the room. I get that from you. You always enjoyed my infamous turkey dinners. I will never forget how you would always say that “I have the best stove”. Your spot at the dining room table will always be in the front of our minds.

Michelle Read:

Dad, I have so many great or even just simple reminders of you that we could talk about them for another lifetime.

The skating rink in our back yard, training me for track and field, helping me with my newspaper route, endless bus rides with my friends, teaching us to drive, walking me down the aisle, being there for the birth of your grandchildren, helping and supporting me with the decision to open my own business. From the beginning to the end. Clearing the property to shingling the roof. Building cages and at the beginning even walking dogs. I will never forget what an inspiration you were. I always believed you were the best dad anyone could have.

David; read by Janet:

Dad, David expresses, it’s really not about all of the stories. It’s about all of the unconditional support that you always provided. You were just always there. You built our house, heck you built our neighbourhood and together with your rock our loving mother you turned it into a beautiful loving home.

Michelle Read:

Being the proud strong man that you were, we know how difficult it was for you to accept this thing we call aging. You tried so hard to overcome it, always looking for new ways to stay strong. We don’t know what you were feeling on that night and we will never know exactly what you were thinking but a big part of us understands it. We are not mad, we are just so, so sad that we never knew just how much you were suffering and struggling.

We love you always, and forever. Heavens gates have opened for you and we know you have the biggest wings so fly free until we are all together again our beautiful angel!

Papa,

From your loving grandchildren, we want you to know from the bottom of our hearts that we cherish everything you have ever done for us. You were the biggest part of our lives, helping raise us to grow into the adults I know you are so proud of. We could not have grown into the people we are today without your love and support. You were a role model. Your wise ways and firm beliefs taught us to be respectful, honest, courteous, hard working and to understand the difference between right and wrong. You were always so happy to share stories of your life and your hard work that built the life we know today. You taught us what it was to love unconditionally, to get along with one another and to always help each other whenever we need it. We will always remember your big smile, the sound of your laughter and the way it would fill up the room. You couldn’t give us enough and digging into your pockets made you smile from ear to ear.

Gramma was the love of your life and your rock. I hope for each of us, that one day we can all learn to love as fully and deeply as you knew how. If everyone loved each other the way we know how much you love Gramma, this world would be perfect.

Everyone knew you as Papa. Your walks around the block past St. Theresa’s with Brindle, driving us wherever we needed to be and expressing so much interest in everything that we did is what will always stand out in our minds. Playing cards and cribbage, doing pushups, playing your guitar and music in the basement were only a few of the thousands of things that we will never forget. You were always so excited to hear what we were doing next, what jobs we were doing, what sport we

were playing and what new music we were learning; what stands out for me is not that you wanted to know what we were doing, but that we were happy and fulfilled while we were doing it. We will never be able to thank you enough for that support.

Though now we are grown and were separated by distance you were always with us in our hearts, as part of who you are has been instilled in each of us. It is our promise to you that we will continue to live out your legacy every day.

We hope that now you have been set free from your pain and may rest peacefully.

Et maintenant que tu repose en paix pour l’eternite.

We love you.