Lise Smith (nee Bienvenu)

Born: 4th May 1942

Angel: 1st March 2018

The Beginning

It was on Plattsburgh Beach, summer of ’65. I had arrived in July 1964 from Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado. And there she was walking along on the warm sand, sandals in hand, bikini top and jeans. I just followed her for five or six weekends, as she and her friends came to Plattsburgh on the weekends. I think they stayed for a week or so sometimes. There were seven of them from Montreal. Her image was imprinted in me. I just had to meet her, and I was so shy. I followed her Volkswagen Beetle down the highway on my Harley.

The place to be in ’65 was “Brodie’s” Night Club. Rock ‘n Roll bands all the time and there was an airman from New York City who sang backup for the Belmont’s. Finally I got the nerve to talk to Lise Bienvenu from Montreal. She and her friends thought I was following her. I was “around” a lot. Lise thought I was different because I did not drink alcohol, rode a Harley and worked out with weights, a lot. Life in those days moved fast. Viet Nam War was really escalating. We were married in the Air Base Chapel on 29th January 1966, a bright sunny day.

Three months later I received orders to ship to Okinawa, Kadena Air Base, for 18 month “tour” of duty. I wrote a letter every day to Lise. Heart ache, upon heart ache. Photos exchanged, and hoping to have Lise come to Okinawa. Fortunately and luckily, the Air Force sent too many aircraft weapons load crews overseas. There was a shortage in the Tactical Air Command, which was the Command for fighter/bomber jets. Base of choice, so I chose Tampa, Florida, MacDill Air Base, for F-4 Phantom Jets training pilots for Viet Nam. My last ten months of service was from January to October 1967. After a month vacation in Montreal with Lise, we loaded our car with a small U-Haul trailer, and drove to Florida January 2nd.

We took an apartment at night and realized in daylight that it was a mistake. Run down, dirty, and a giant rat trap was under the kitchen sink. We were accompanied by dancing rats in the ceiling at night. We moved.

We found a nice apartment off Dale Mabray boulevard, on Audubon Street. Lise sewed to make dresses and worked temporarily for Kelly Services. One job was for a famous cartoonist who had his work in papers across the USA....forgot his name... and another job was at Busch Gardens, a zoo and nature complex, established by the beer company Anheiser Busch.

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I found a second job outside the Air Force. I worked 8 hours Air Force and 8 hours security guard at a Westinghouse construction site, which was going to build huge turbines for the Tennessee Valley power dams. I worked weekends at night clubs and beach bars, checking ID’s and deflating parking lot disputes. Turned down a weekend job of protecting downtown Tampa stores, sitting inside with a shotgun, during riots of ’67 in Tampa.

My discharge date was fast approaching. The second job provided some much needed funds for discharge travel and minimal setup in Plattsburgh. Four hundred and thirty six dollars and Lise was expecting our first baby. Thinking of the future, I took the SAT college entrance exam on a Saturday at University of South Florida. Couple that with a letter to Georgia Pacific paper mill in Plattsburgh, asking for an interview to work there.

We arrived in Plattsburgh on 17th October 1967. Just in time to see Montreal’s World’s Fair, “Expo ‘67”. On November 15, 1967, Michele Anne Smith was born in the Plattsburgh hospital. Aime and Alice Bienvenu came to Plattsburgh in a snow storm to see their daughter and grandchild. Our world was changing fast: baby Michele, got a job at Georgia Pacific, visited the College Admission Office to see whether I was accepted or rejected. The Admissions Officer said, “I do not see why not”. I was in. I pointed out that I had received an “Incentive Award” upon graduating from Rome Free Academy in Rome, New York, my hometown. The Award was to help poor students an opportunity to attend college. I went to Plattsburgh College for four years, tuition free, while Lise, Michele and I lived in low rent Housing Project called, Collins park, and we had food stamps, Medicaid medical and dental care, and Summer job at Georgia Pacific for each Summer and upon graduation. Lise did not work outside the home, but she was busy with Michele, teaching and guiding her. Michele participated in Head Start program held in Collins Park. It was to help poorer children learning opportunities.

I had a bicycle for commuting to College whenever we were short of money. The G.I. bill provided $320 a month to live on. Rent was $34 a month, with heat and electric. Michele would sit on the cross bars of the bike, as we rode to Grand Union grocery store. Michele called it , “gan new nan” . When money was tight, we had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a couple days before the check arrived. Sometimes Grandma Toomey, staying with Uncle Chet in North Bennington, Vermont, would send $50. It was so helpful, and went far in those days. During the Summers we had more money because I worked at Georgia Pacific paper mill. But it was a 6 day work week, Monday to Saturday and shift work. Rent was $74 a month when I worked. In 1970 I bought a new Ford Maverick car for $2,200 with a bank loan. Got the loan due to GI bill monthly pay and Summer work at Georgia Pacific. Lise saved a lot by sewing clothes for herself and Michele. We were poor, but so happy. Our little family was precious. Lise was so

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proud of little Michele. When she took Michele in a stroller, everyone stopped her to say how beautiful Michele was as a baby and then how cute as a child. Michele was so blonde and fair skinned, Lise worried that people might think Michele was not her child since she had dark hair and complexion.

On weekends we would visit Aime and Alice at the cottage in Fabreville. Lise’s brother Raymond and his girl friend Lorraine would come over too. Raymond became a college professor in Economics, and Lorraine a nurse. They married and lived in Longeuil , South shore of Montreal.

The Move To Montreal

Lise, Michele and I moved to Montreal on a snowy day, using a U Haul truck. Michele rode in the moving truck with me, while I drove the truck off the Interstate 87, and we ended up staying in a motel a couple days, during the storm and getting a tow truck to extract our truck with belongings out of the deep snow bank. It was a scary ride for Michele while Mommy was in the car. The border and immigration into Canada was easy in January 1972. I had a letter of employment at Royal Trust and Lise was to work at Credit Foncier, a mortgage and financial company. We settled in an apartment in St Eustache, close to an elementary school, Cure Paquin.

Michele was four years old by then, and we spent our recreation time, skiing, camping and bicycle riding. One trip to Prince Edward Island with our 10 X 14 foot tent was a very wet experience. Each day the radio would say, “we hope for some sun tomorrow”, but that was empty hope. It rained almost constantly for 5 days. On the 6th day we awoke with 5 inches of water in our tent, but we slept on cots, luckily. We packed up our soaked tent and clothes, and drove our sagging 1970 Maverick Ford to the Ferry Boat.

Upon arriving in Quebec City we hit sunshine and great weather. Two days of sun and homeward for more sun.

We put Michele on skis around age 6. I learned to ski along side Michele at a man made hill in Laval, called “Mont Laval” which was about 120 foot vertical drop. Mommy Lise was an excellent skier. Bicycle riding with the baby seat was popular with us. Lise always rode in a gear too high because she did not like peddling with high revolutions and she was always more tired than me, spinning at an easier gear.

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A Brother for Michele

On 9th October 1974, Kevin was born about 11:30 a.m. It was on my birthday. But that day was also my Trust Officer Exam day at Royal Trust. I had to go to work for the exam and three years of on the job training. Lise said go ahead and “I will be alright”. She had pains, and the baby was ready. As soon as I left, she called her father, Aime, and he took Lise to the Maisonneuve Rosemount Hospital, and Kevin William was born.

Michele enjoyed having a baby brother. She held him a lot and played with him. The seven year span between them was good. She helped and teased him, and at times, protected him. Michele learned responsibilities in caring for Kevin. My mother visited us in St Eustache two times, flying in from California. Charlotte loved the kids so much, she was so happy to have grandchildren. Very proud and loving. Some photos show a visit while Lise was expecting Kevin.

Grandmaman looked after Kevin while he was a baby, and then Kevin attended a Day Care in Cartierville for a couple years. It was hard for us to see him crying as we drove away. But we all survived. In the meantime, we moved into our only home, in July 1980. The home was built for us in a new project in Western part of Deux Montagnes. When Kevin was ready for school, Mountainview Elementary was a few blocks away. The secondary school, Lake of Two Mountains School, was next to the elementary school. It was a perfect small town to grow up in. The train was nearby for commuting to work in downtown Montreal, shopping was convenient and schools were perfect.

Gardening

Lise loved making beautiful flower beds, arranging bushes and non flowering plants. She read up on everything plants, collecting many books. The front yard was always a beautiful sight. Our pets, starting with Sandy, a medium sized dog, was pretty sandy color, but made a young dog mistake by biting a young girl. The father came to our door and we had to lose Sandy. Then years of the cats, Sylvester and Fluffy who became our flea cats, contaminating the downstairs and upstairs. Kevin’s leg was once covered with fleas after going in the basement. Cats had to go and Lise cleaned everywhere to get rid of the fleas.

Finally a gardening friend, Chap, the small black dog, became a yard dog to keep Lise company while gardening. I helped only for the heavy stuff of dirt bags and wheel burro carting, and oh yeah, the tons of peat moss. Peat and dirt mixing. Doing it right by the “superintendent” , my title for Lise. I knew nothing about planting, so Lise directed and orchestrated our wonderful home with plants inside and around the yards.

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1980’s in New Home Neighborhood

Kevin enjoyed our growing neighborhood, with home construction going on for several years, and new people moving in. Bicycle riding was a big deal for Kevin, and he became very skilled at riding BMX style bike. One family in our neighborhood had children of similar ages to Michele and Kevin. The East family was a mirror image of ours: French wife, American husband who turned out to be an Air Force vet, at the same time as me stationed at Plattsburgh. We were in the same barracks building near the “chow hall”. Gerry was on the 2nd floor, Maintenance Squadron, and I was on 1st floor, the entire Squadron of 40th Munitions Maintenance.

Another family in the neighborhood was the Vezina’s, who it turned out, Lise knew from the early 1960’s, and in fact Lise and I went to a party in 1968, at Guy Vezina’s apartment on Queen Mary Road in Montreal. I took a black and white photo of that evening. Claudette Vezina was one of the “Gang of Seven” who went to Plattsburgh in the early ‘60’s. Other gang members were there too, Nicole Mainguy, Francine Lemieux, and Nicole Lemieux. Coincidence number two, and then the “spookiest” one when it turned out that Louise East’s parents knew Lise’s parents, Aime and Alice, from the 1940’s and ‘50’s, from the same district in Montreal.

Trips

Michele joined Girl Guides in late ‘70’s and luckily, went on a camping trip to Calgary at age 12 or so. I think it was during the Calgary Stampede, the annual rodeo event which was nationally known and attended by Americans and Canadians of all Provinces. Kevin had his early trip to Worchester, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston, for an International Soccer Tournament. Lise and I stayed with one family, and Kevin stayed with another Soccer family. Kevin was so thin at that time. Very active, running his tail off on the soccer field. It was a great adventure for Kevin, Lise and I.

Closer to home trips were during the Winter Ski season. Killington Vermont was our favorite trip several times over the years. My cousin Brian worked at Killington, and we stayed at his home on the big weekends. The scenery was breathtaking and Lise was in her element as an excellent skier. Poor Kevin had to stay in the day care at Killington for a couple seasons, but they took the kids out for a little walk around on small skis. He was probably 6 or 7 before he skied at Killington. Those were really beautiful trips, which included another family from my Royal Trust work, the Grant Bridge family. Again, the children were similar in age, with Jennifer being a couple years difference with Michele. The Bridges joined us on a few Killington trips, as well as skiing in the Laurentian Mountains. Lise and Carol Bridge became close, and even living far apart in later years, remained close with a train visit by Lise to Carol in Pickering Ontario, on two

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occasions. Lise and I also met Grant’s sister Linda, and then Carol McDonald in Ontario. We got together for Grant’s Family Picnic and Golf, in Alexandria Ontario. And Lise and I visited Linda a few times, and took Dexter twice, and the last time was December 2017, just before Lise went into the Hospital January 4th 2018. That hospital visit was the first of 3 admissions leading up to March 1st. Her health declined rapidly from December to January, one month span, while most of 2017 was good.

In May of 2000, Lise and I flew to Florida for a week vacation. We stayed in Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, at one of her client’s home. We visited Disney World, Cape Canaveral and in Fort Lauderdale, we saw a super Air Show at the beach. It was at the NASA Space Center that I saw the first PT Cruiser. I had to have one. Upon return to Lake George, I traded my Honda Accord and bought a black PT Cruiser.

The PT Cruiser led to other trips for Lise and I. We joined a PT Cruiser Club in Saratoga Springs, NY. We went to Niagara Falls Canada for a huge rally of Cruisers. Over 600 cars, and Lise went up an observation “needle” near the display grounds and took a spectacular photo of the whole field of cars. I was chicken to go up. We enjoyed the Falls so much, an had a tour of Niagara on the Lake vineyards, did a Cruiser parade, ride around near the Falls. It was a beautiful trip with great people, of our 9 member group. We had two other great trips too. One to the Norman Rockwell Museum in Western Massachusetts, with our traditional parade around of cars, stopping people and cars to watch us go by. Another really good trip was to Baltimore, to “Tobasco Joe’s hometown. Joe joined the Saratoga Group when they went to a New Jersey Cruiser event. Baltimore was fantastic. Lise and I really enjoyed that one too. The PT Cruiser brought us great joy, adventure and travel with a great bunch of people.

The coup d’etat of trips was actually hosting the Club to Montreal. But I found a better place to stay in St Sauveur, in the Laurentians. They loved it: small village, quaint shops, able to walk around. Sojourns to Montreal for driving tour, luncheon boat cruise and dining in Old Montreal. Those years were truly great for Lise and I.

Lise had a few trips to Europe with her work at Lombard Odier. Three times to Geneva Switzerland, incorporating side trip to Paris with close friend, Jacqueline Richer and her mother. Another trip incorporated a ski excursion, again with Jacqueline, to Mont Blanc, Chamonix, and Vigers. Beautiful scenic photos of Lise with work friends. She was in her element, so happy, so much fun and excitement. Lise treasured her work at Lombard Odier, and deeply appreciated the opportunities she had in travel and increased responsibilities at work. I know she would have wished to “go it again”.

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The Bahamas And More

As work at Royal Trust was changing toward a heavy French environment, I learned of a few workers moving to the Caribbean for off shore banking opportunities. It was a resume building and experience move. I applied, and went with NatWest in Nassau, Bahamas. Lise came down 4 times in a year and half of being there. I had 5 weeks vacation a year. Kevin visited 3 or 4 times, Michele once. Friend Mike from Royal Trust came 4 times, once for 2 weeks. With all the visiting and time off, the year and half flew by. Childhood friend Ed Arnold came for a week, with their friends , Jerry and Terry. And their visit led to Lise, Kevin and his friend Tom from the neighborhood, and I, to visit California in 1995. We stayed at Ed’s home in Carmichael, suburb of Sacramento, and with brother Don in Foster City, South of San Francisco. Jerry and Terry led us on a Napa Valley Vineyard visit of 6 vineyards. What a great time. Topped off with side trip to Lake Tahoe. Kevin and Tom gambled in a casino, but had to leave for being under 18 years old.

A varied travel life with friends and groups made such trips even more meaningful and enjoyable. After the Bahamas work, and 14 months as a Security Guard at Killington Ski area, I obtained a Trust department job in Glens Fall,NY, and had a townhouse in Lake George. The split life of my living in Lake George and commuting on weekends to Deux Montagnes home, made for several vacation weeks and days in the Lake George area, which included trips to North Bennington to see Aunt Millie. Lise and I visited Uncle Chet and Aunt Millie often, from the 1960’s up to Chet’s passing in 1993, and continued with Millie while we underwent changes in our lives. Lake George living also had advantages, as I brought countless goods from the States to our home. From electronic goodies and high income with favorable exchange rates, to provide high end TV, sound systems, and a pool table for basement recreation room and incredible Christmas giving, which Lise and I could afford. Together we had financial health which we spread to our children. Working at a Glens Falls bank turned out to benefit our family with incredible financial benefits, including qualifying for Social Security, and evolving into Social Security disability with bad hips and disk problem, and the tax plan of 401(k) through work, for retirement. Those two elements secured benefits for family and my retirement. Lise and I accomplished financial security, not entirely by planning, but by making the right decisions, at the right time. We did well together, for the best life of our family.

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July 2006 The Move Back and Our Last Years

I moved back to Deux Montagnes in July 2006, after retirement from the bank. I spent 4 days at home and 3 days in Lake George for 6 months of 2006 while I collected $10,000 in unemployment insurance. And then home free !

Lise also retired and home together full time. Our dog situation changed again with the passing of Kobie age 10 and Nina age 9, in early 2006. Lise was distraught by the loss of those beautiful “Shelties”. I did a search on the internet and found a breeder in Smith Falls Ontario, near Percy. Sharrow Shelties had a puppy named Dexter by Margaret the breeder. Little Dexter was 3 months old and eligible for adoption due to one testicle not dropping. She raised show dog Shelties, and sold a few also. Dexter had champion father and mother. Dexter became so much a part of our family. We adored him endlessly. Lise showed him off all the time, enjoying neighborhood walks and park walk events in Plattsburgh and Shelburne, Vermont. Once we took Dexter to the War of 1812 Parade and Re-enactment event in Plattsburgh. The local NBC station folks were in a parade vehicle and admired our Dexter sitting with us on the sidewalk watching the parade. Lise “beamed”.....Dexter was such a looker.

Trips to Maine...With and Without Dexter

During retirement years we went to Maine four times, and one included Dexter at Wells Beach. Dogs were allowed on the beach early in the morning and Lise and I trekked down there at 5:30 in the mornings to watch the sunrise out of the ocean. With Dexter on leash, the silhouette of Lise and Dexter along the beach, with gentle waves and rising sun are just spectacular. We all went on a small sightseeing boat from Perkins Cove to the Neddick Lighthouse at York, Maine. Dexter was a hit among the 12 passengers, while he sat between Lise and I. Another memorable trip to Bar Harbor was also a photographic dream. Lise loved photography with her Nikon and zoom lens. She missed Dexter so much, I bought a stuffed Sheltie puppy, “baby Dexter” for the car and in bed at night. A happy souvenir of our trip without Dexter. We had beautiful retirement years and memories.

Lise and I called Dexter, “our furry kid”. So beloved. We lost Dexter 4 months before his 11th birthday in August 2017. Up to the April date, Lise took Dexter for walks, although they got shorter as Dexter’s health was failing and Lise’s also, with Alzheimer and heart condition.

This review of our life has compressed the ‘60’s, ‘70’s, 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s, a span of 52 years of marriage. As I told Lise in those last months and days, “we done good, we have two wonderful children and grandchildren.” She realized it so, ending with a close hug, comforting herself on my shoulder, often at a time when she just needed a hug.

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Lise Smith (nee Bienvenu)

1942-2018

Passed away at St-Eustache Hospital, on March 1st, 2018 at the age of seventy-five. Beloved wife of Mr. William Smith. She will be sadly missed by her children Michele (Jim) and Kevin, her grandchildren Kelly and Mark as well as many relatives and friends. The family will receive condolences on Saturday, March 17, 2018 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Complexe Funéraire Guay (Réseau Dignité),146 Saint-Louis in Saint-Eustache, Tel: 514-871-2020, www.dignitequebec.com,

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À l'hôpital St-Eustache, le 1 mars 2018, à l'âge de 75 ans, est décédée Mme Lise Bienvenu épouse de William Smith. Outre son époux, elle laisse dans le deuil ses enfants Michele (Jim) et Kevin, ses petits-enfants Kelly et Mark ainsi que plusieurs autres parents et amis. La famille recevra les condoléances le samedi 17 mars 2018 de 14h00 à 16h00 au:

Complexe Funéraire Guay

(Réseau Dignité)

146, rue Saint-Louis

St-Eustache, Qc J7R 1Y2

Tél: 514-871-2020

www.dignitequebec.com