Alvarez Rosaire Gaulin- 1932-2019 (87 years old)
On September 25, 1932 in Notre-Dame du Nord, Témiscaminque, Québec, was born Alvarez Rosaire Gaulin, the fourth child of a family of eight: Fernande, Claire, René, Léo, Maurice, Jean-Claude and Irène. When his father died at 11, he found jobs to help support his family at the expense of his education.
On October 15, 1955, Alvarez married Huguette Fontaine on the same day that his brother Léo married Jeannine, a great friend of Huguette. The two brothers settled in Dowling, in the Sudbury area, Ontario. They build a duplex and start their respective families. Alvarez will spend 30 years of his career as a millwright at the Falconbridge mine.
Ten years later, still in Dowling, Alvarez built a large open-plan bungalow with cathedral ceilings, where he raised his six children: Marielle, Denis, Carole, Sylvie, Jacques and Aline. He cleared the grounds to make it his playground: construction of giant swings, a mega swimming pool dug between two rocks, an artificial lake transformed into an ice rink and paths in the forest, in short a real holiday camp for his immediate and extended family and friends. Alvarez is very much a handyman, a true engineer in his heart!
At work, his executives, recognizing in him his expertise and his sought-after skills, invite him to join them on a business trip to Germany and San Francisco. These stays abroad will impress him until his last days.
Alvarez and Huguette also treat themselves to several memorable trips. They take their families camping in Vancouver, Gaspésie, the Maritimes and Newfoundland. They also make pilgrimages to Yugoslavia, Fatima, Lourdes and the Holy Land.
Among his many friends, Alvarez is particularly fond of Aimé Prévost, Doris Prévost and Aimé Courchesne. Later, he will reunite with his great childhood friend, Sylvio Rivard. In 1992, when Alvarez and Huguette moved to Bourget after his retirement, he befriended Charles Auguste Hurtubise, his neighbour Roger Tassé, the Marcils, the Lorties, the Gauthiers, the Lavignes, Mr. Lanova and so on. .
In Bourget, Alvarez is busy at his hobby farm. Winter is punctuated by toboganning in the groomed hill behind his house, spring is the production of artisanal maple syrup and summer, the swimming pool is in the spotlight. These activities allowed him to find his child’s heart among his family and friends.
In autumn 2005, the couple celebrated with great joy and festivity, their 50th anniversary in the Trois-Rivières region, along with Carmen and Julien Marcel and Huguette who also marked their 50th.
Dignified and serene despite so much suffering, Huguette, Alvarez’s great love, succumbed to cancer on July 19, 2009. Shortly after, Alvarez sold his farm and moved into a rental in Bourget. Huguette’s absence weighed heavily on him: he missed her terribly.
In 2016, the Jardin Royal residence in Orléans welcomes Alvarez. In his downsizing efforts, he insists on keeping several tools that end up in his closet, utensil drawers and even in his bathroom. Yet his good DIY years are drawing to a close. Finally, in March 2019, he moved to the Champlain Reception Center in Ottawa where he spent his last days in bliss and peace.
Throughout his life, Alvarez, a practicing Catholic and believer, engaged in several religious activities with Huguette. He affiliated with the Legion of Mary and became an associate member of the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of Ottawa. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus. These organizations encouraged him to devote himself to several people in distress in the village. In this context, he meets François Charbonneau, considering him over the years, his spiritual son.
Alvarez is dedicated to many volunteer actions, including meals on wheels, the food bank and the Partage de Bourget. Moreover, he was awarded several certificates and praise in recognition of his charitable gestures, in particular for his 15 years with the Canadian Cancer Society, his 21 years in community service in Prescott-Russell and his 33 years as a volunteer driver.
Its philanthropic nature is also reflected in a number of charitable gestures. Indeed, Alvarez subsidizes, for example, the education of priests in Rwanda and Congo; he contributes to the education of Haitian children and gives generously to several humanitarian and christian organizations such as Doctors Without Borders, the Ottawa Food Bank, the Missionaries of Africa, the Archdiocese of Ottawa, Faith and Christian Television and several other religious communities.
All in all, Alvarez loved children, enjoyed laughing, teasing, playing cards, swimming, doing puzzles, picking blueberries, walking, gardening and, of course, crafts.
His Celebration of Life website is an expression of his aspirations, his hobbies, his numerous skills, his actions and his loving, caring and generous personality!