Besides Rene’s unstoppable creativity, skills, friendship and hijinks, he was a true leader.

He led his huge pack of friends as he constantly came up with ideas and events that always brought everyone together for some very memorable moments.

He was always a leader in my mind.

A ring leader and a very dear and special friend of mine. We will all miss him forever.

Mark

I met Rene in 1988 at a company called Communique and we soon became best pals.
His mind was always buzzing, he was constantly coming up with funny gags as well as unique experiments. We always joked that he immediately voided the warranty of any product he bought, because his curiosity made him open everything up to see how it worked. 
He loved music and he introduced me and others to bands that he had discovered. He had the biggest record collection I have ever seen. 
He had an interesting fascination with both Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra. We were never sure if it was totally serious or not. Because he had the same fascination with a gag newspaper called "The Weekly World News".
I have never met as unique an individual as Rene, and probably never will. But behind all the joking was a heart of gold and a great friend.

Jerome McDonald

I remember his chuckle. His open heart. His baseball caps. His ability to bring loved ones together, no matter how scaird they where to be.  A one and only and I am grateful that I have a piece of his heart, in mine.

Remembering Rene, the first thing that comes to mind is how excited my sister and I would get to visit his awesome apartment in the junction. He’d show us his fish tank and take us up to the roof to see his rooftop garden. Rene always took care of our dog Luther when we went away and I can confidently say that he was one of Lu’s favourite people. During those times, Rene would always send us hilarious, photoshopped images of Luther, like him enjoying a massive turkey leg or doing a backflip off the roof. We will miss you Rene.

God broke the mold when he made Rene.

Sure, we've all heard the saying before, but in this case it's 100% true. I know and have known literally thousands of people throughout my lifetime and I have NEVER EVER met anyone like Rene. He was uniquely unique. Like others have said... kind, generous, helpful, smart, hardworking, curious, a technical dabbler, insanely creative, fun loving and most importantly FUNNY AS FRACK! He had an INCREDIBLE sense of humor... hugely creative and wildly unpredictable. A bonafide "out of the box" thinker. He was the test pilot. His obsession with all things "collectible retro kitch" was unparalled. So entertaining and amusing!... even in retirement. Whenever Rene threw a party, everyone that went KNEW it was going to be a humdinger rain or shine! And if you were forced to attend a stuffy corporate event at work, the first thing you did was look for Rene. All the cool IYKYK peeps would congregate in his presence waiting for some perfectly timed guaranteed comic relief. He knew exactly how to shatter boring corporate doldrums. So many great memories!

Love you buddy! See you on the other side. 
X's & O's
Tedly

I worked with Rene at Communique and whenever I think of him a smile instantly begins to form! And as I think of his mischievous humour and all the times I laughed out loud at his antics, the smile gets wider and wider!  What a wonderful way to be remembered.  He loved making everyone laugh and he did it brilliantly!!!
My  condolences to Rene's loved ones for the loss of such a delightful soul.

Rene was in a class of his own. I'm so grateful to have known him and cherish the extensive, joyful memories.

I will remember Rene for many things – our mutual love for the IKEA monkey, the Kinder Eggs he brought our kids whenever he visited, his creative cooking inventions and innovations, his friendship and kindness, and his love for our dog Lu. Rene loved Lu as much as we did, preferred shaggy Lu to short-haired Lu, and always had time and space for Lu whenever we went away. Even in his old age, Lu would bound up the stairs and go straight to Rene’s door. He knew a good person was waiting behind that door who would love him and make goofy videos of him. We will all miss you very much Rene, you were a special and important person in our lives.

Rene St. Arnaud was the kind of utterly unique person who made life simply and unquestionably better for those fortunate enough to be around him.   I'm unaware of any human being who found Rene to be off-putting or unlikeable - in my experience, he was the object of universal affection and respect from all who knew him (a difficult combo to achieve).  In spite of the fact that he never seemed to judge people negatively, I found it difficult not to be intimidated by what I perceived to be his towering intellect trapped inside the most gentle and unassuming personality imaginable.  When many of us were blessed to work together at Communique, Rene didn't embody the spirit of the company, he WAS the spirit of the company.  He was brilliantly talented, hard-working, kind, funny, funny, funny and inappropriately humble.  

To his family - please know that Rene was deeply appreciated, adored, admired and loved by his Toronto family.  He enriched our lives.  He filtered the world in a unique and delightful way.  He was a beauty.

What to say about Rene – words won’t do justice.
Rene was one of the most talented and creative people I have ever met. The laughter and the practical jokes were unstoppable.
He was at every one of my milestone life events until he moved back to Sask.
He teased me about my prairie roots – only because he could relate!
He played a part in shaping some of my craziest and funniest life memories. 
He always said yes to helping with my family’s birthday or anniversary practical joke videos or photo projects.
His rooftop patio parties were epic. As were the adventures we had all along the way.
Rene – Oh the Places You’ll Go
You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.
You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed.
You’ll pass our whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
You’re off to Great Places – so…. get on your way!
Love and peace in your new universe Rene!
Sympathy to Rene’s entire family – you were his foundation of love.

Rene, when you smiled, our whole world smiled along with you. You reminded us all to laugh, and we did. Travel well my dear friend. 
Drew and family.

God Bless you our Rene.

Our kind and caring friend.

We will love you forever.

You're still the one.

Love AMC, Tom and our Clune Family.

“Only the good die young “ is not just a saying. God will always look after his most precious first. Renee was an angel to all that knew him and is now resting in peace with his creator. May his memory be eternal for all that were blessed to know him. Eternal be his memory!!

Music lover, hard worker, mighty chef, honest man. So long Rene, I will miss you. I hope there is a turntable, rooftop deck and cold beer wherever you rest.

My heart is saddened at the passing of my high school friend. We meet at Holy Cross and had many good times and great laughs ! It wax special to meet your Mother, Father , brother and sister.  Rene , you made me laugh so many times in your quiet way and snicker like you would . Especially for me when you came back to Saskatoon. We could pick up like we did so many years ago!  As if you never left. 
Rene,,  may you be at peace and the Love of our Lord  God  surround you and your
parents. 
Always your friend ,  I will keep you and your family in my prayers .

I don't recall ever being in a class with Rene at Holy Cross but I consider him one of my best high school friends. Our paths crossed many times as he was the "school photographer" and I was in drama productions. I'll recall many evenings in his basement listening to the latest records, or cruising 8th St. in Pat Lacroix's lime green sports car with Life's Been Good blaring on the radio. 1978 was one of the best years of my life and Rene was a huge part of that. 

My condolences to Marc, Lise and Rene's extended family.

OBITUARY

Rene Paul St. Arnaud

September 27, 1960 – June 8, 2024

Mourning Glory – Acadia McKague's Funeral Chapel

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