Henriette Marie Gauthier Smyth

This was just one example of who Henriette was and how she impacted those around her. Henriette was a determined and gregarious person who always brought out the finest attributes in other people. It was as if Henriette wanted to share all of their experiences, revel in their lives, and celebrate their discoveries. Henriette was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve her well throughout her life.

Henriette was born on December 15, 1929 in Coteau-Station Quebec. She was the daughter of loving French Canadian parents, Maria and Wilder Gauthier. Henriette was raised on Boulevard du Havre in Bellerive, Valleyfield, known as the Venice of Quebec. Always ready with a playful joke, she grew up to be quite a humorous person. While some who knew Henriette might describe her as an idealist, her friends and family understood well that Henriette was always in pursuit of life’s endless possibilities and opportunities available to her.

Henriette was raised with 4 siblings. She had one older sister, Marielle, two older brothers, Gilles and Rene, and one younger brother Denis who passed away at three days old from jaundice. Henriette was very proud and supportive of her family. She was perceived as the central person in her family in terms of keeping communication open between the family members. These traits served Henriette well in her adult life and, along with her wit, outgoing personality, and understanding of others, she drew the admiration of many who knew her.

During her high school years, Henriette responded enthusiastically to any new project and was regularly in search of one new adventure after another. She was a leader among her friends, in her school she was the president of the Catholic Girls Society, and a champion among her peers.The boys from the neighbouring private boys school would call out to Henriette to try to engage her in conversation from the other side of the fence. She absorbed as much as she could from all of her teachers and was consistently able to tackle conceptual and abstract problems, using her imagination to master her assignments. For Henriette, school often became just an extension of playtime, thanks to her ability to turn just about anything into a game. Classmates considered Henriette a good listener, and a loyal friend, knowing that when necessary, they could go to her to discuss just about anything. Her favorite class in high school was writing. She graduated from Ecole Notre-Dame de Bellerive in June 1944. She then completed her studies graduating with distinction in Stenography at Les Soeurs des Saints Noms de Jesus et de Marie in June 1947.

Her talent for making acquaintances easily, brought her an endless stream of friends, Henriette was very sociable and could blend without effort into any social group. Assertive and outgoing, Henriette was easy to know and demonstrated a deep concern for others. She always seemed aware of what was going on with people around her and throughout her life she made many, many friends, her husband Harry ultimately was her best friend!

On December 27,1952 Henriette married Harry Ernest Smyth in Valleyfield Quebec. The marriage took place in the priest's office, as they would not allow them to marry in the Cathedral because Harry was not a Catholic, he was an Anglican. A week later they moved to Deep River, Ontario as Harry started a new job with Atomic Energy of Canada. She was a very remarkable, determined person who, with limited English, moved to Deep River, leaving behind her very close family and friends in Valleyfield, to a foreign environment of English language, customs and strangers. With her French dictionary in hand, she attended English speaking parties, listening, translating and often admitting she didn't understand half of what was said. She persevered and conquered and soon won the hearts of all she met. Henriette's skill at “building bridges” played an important role establishing her loving qualities that served her well in helping to nurture and care for her family. Henriette could also be very flexible and organized, as Harry's job had the family moving from Deep River Ont. to Oakville Ont. then to Trois Rivieres Que. and back to Mississauga Ont. all within 6 years. One of her great joys had always been her home. She always made a lovely home for her family ,which was always beautifully decorated, well organized and it always had to be clean.

For Henriette, parenting was a particularly enjoyable and pleasurable part of her life. Every activity, from chores to bedtime routines, became a game in the Smyth home. Henriette's skill at understanding her children's feelings, her sensitivity to their needs, and her gift for gentle persuasion enabled her to find novel solutions to any problem or situation that might crop up. Her greatest joy was her children, the babies, the youngsters,the teens, the young adults, to adults, along with her grandchildren and great grandchildren passing through the similar phases. She gave so much to them all and they gave so much joy in return. The giving and receiving is of course love, of which she had an everlasting supply! A universal sentiment expressed by all of her grandchildren was she was always happy, laughing and smiling, she was very funny and cheerful, she made the best meals, she played a good competitive game of football, cards and video games, and she loved nibbling on their ears! They all were made to feel they were the most special person on earth when they were with her. Henriette was blessed with three children: two daughters, Susan and Janine and one son, Jamie. She was also blessed with eight grandchildren; Cameron, Kyle, Noelle, Christopher, Shaun, Drew, Brandon and Michelle: and two great grandchildren, Isla and Callum.

Henriette was uplifted by new ideas and was excited by life’s possibilities, traits that made her an exceptional worker. Her primary occupation was a secretary at Merk Chemical in Valleyfield Quebec where she met Harry but once she married Harry, she became a homemaker. When her children left home she was hired as a translator for Carleton Cards. Henriette was enterprising, inventive and working against deadlines seemed to energize her. She had the uncanny ability to identify win/win solutions to just about any problem, undoubtedly due of her gift for insight. Henriette's fellow workers saw her as a personable supporter with plenty of personality and poise. She also was a practical joker at work, putting confetti in a coworkers hair!

Because Henriette loved to have a broad variety of activities in her life, she took advantage of every opportunity to pursue her numerous hobbies. Among her favorite pursuits were tennis,a champion in her first summer of the game which she won through her great determination, ability, and by playing seven days a week, even Sunday (after church of course). Curling, skiing, knitting, gardening, baking and bridge were other skills she mastered. Henriette had a knack for being able to multi-task which allowed her to make time for all of her favorite pastimes. Henriette derived much satisfaction from participating in and watching sports especially tennis.She would get totally immersed in the game, sitting on the edge of her seat, cheering and yelling for her favourite player. After breaking her leg and being in a cast for 18 months from a skiing accident in 1967, she had to learn how to walk again, and did so through determination and strong will, always with a smile on her face of course. Being in a cast, and wheelchair bound, enabled the whole family to 'skip the line' during Expo 67, held in Montreal.

Henriette's love of improvising in her daily life was a perfect fit for her enjoyment of traveling. Her favorite vacations were ones that were meticulously planned by Harry. Excited about seeing beautiful scenery, architecture, the mystery of history, especially going back and searching for her roots in France.

Henriette took her vacations seriously, spending days preparing for them and documenting their trips in extensive journals. Favorite vacations included Europe, especially France, Hawaii, Mexico, visiting family across Canada and going on many Cruises.

Henriette was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. Pierre and Princess, white toy poodle's, were a part of her life for 20 years. Even all her grand-dogs continued to bring her much pleasure.

When Henriette's and Harry's retirement finally came in 1985, Henriette handled it with ease the way she always did. She adapted and, like everything in her life, made it fulfilling. Because she was such a flexible person and able to adjust to any situation, retirement was just another enjoyable change of pace for Henriette to master. Her new life involved relocating to Victoria BC. building and decorating a new ocean view home and helping Harry plant their extensive garden. In retirement, she found new pleasure in playing bridge, dinner clubs, gardening, and knitting for her grandchildren ( every grandchild received a hand knitted sweater for their birthday for the first seven years of their life). Her most enjoyable experiences were always based on spending time making numerable memories with her family, especially with her eight grandchildren. Even in retirement, Henriette continued to stay in touch with her old friends and like always, made plenty of new ones.

There was always a certain style and inventiveness to Henriette. She was a dynamic, self-expressive person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. She had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. While she was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to Henriette Smyth for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and courage. Henriette was always more than willing to share life’s experiences with her loved ones. A very classy lady who always took pride in her appearance. Even in the early days in Deep River she went "downtown" shopping, wearing her hat and gloves. This continued to her final days where you would not see her out unless she had her makeup on, especially her lipstick, and getting her hair done every Friday! She was always dressed in the latest fashion, and made a statement when she entered a room. When she lost the love of her life, Harry, in November 2011, from that day forward, a part of Henriette's "Joie de vivre" was gone.

Henriette passed away peacefully on January 29, 2020 at Victoria BC. after a sudden and massive bleed in the brain. She is survived by her children Susan, Janine, and Jamie, son in laws Dave and Chuck, her grandchildren Cameron ,Kyle, Noelle, Christopher, Shaun, Drew, Brandon and Michelle and two great grandchildren Isla and Callum. The many wonderful memories of Henriette will keep her legacy alive. We'll miss her more than words can say. Services will be held at First Memorial on Falaise Drive, Victoria (Cordova Bay) on Saturday, February 22 at 10 am., Reception to follow. Henriette will be laid to rest in Royal Oak Burial Park in Victoria BC.