Obituary of Stanley Joseph Charbonneau

Charbonneau, Stanley Joseph On December 9th, 2014 in his eighty-ninth year, after a lifetime of faithful devotion to God and family and patient endurance during years of illness and trials, a noble heart stopped beating and Stan was called home to be with his heavenly Father for all eternity. Surrounded by his loving family, Stan died at home in Chatham as he had lived, quietly and peacefully and with courage and true dignity. Throughout his long illness, Stan came close to death several times, recovering each time through the grace of God and his own strong will to go on living. In spite of his many health problems, Stan’s wonderful sense of humour, keen intellect and love of sports never left him. Stan will be dearly missed and always cherished by his loving wife of 55 years, Gladys (nee Berry) and his family to whom he was a proud and devoted Dad, Grandpa and Great- Grandpa - son Stephen (Deb Smith), grandchildren Aaron and Jessica Charbonneau, Josh (Melissa) Lane and Jacob Lane; son Paul (Phyllis nee Reaume), grandchildren Jason (Jessica), Scott (Samantha), Emily and great-grandchildren Kaitlyn and Benjamin; daughter Anne Marie Posella, grandchildren Marina, Hannah and Leah Myers; daughter Mary Beth (Gerard) Laing, grandchildren Molly (1992), Madison, Sam, Abbey and Jack Studnicka; son David (Tina van den Boorn), grandchildren Natasia (John) Iantsis, Brianne (Jesse) Walma, Justyn (Latifa), Mikayla, Taylor and Brayden Charbonneau and great-grandchildren Evelyn and Ethan. Stan was a special brother-in-law to Louise (nee Berry) Paul, Michael Berry, Lucille (nee Strong) Berry and Jack McNaughton. He will be fondly remembered by Denise, Rob, Todd, Lori and several nieces and nephews. Born in Windsor, Ontario on February 6, 1926, Stan was the last surviving member of his immediate family. Predeceased by his parents, Ernest and Anna (nee Meloche) and his siblings Genevieve (George) Rogers, Rose-Marie (Wes) Lowe, Donald (Gloria nee Kalinowski), and Thomas. Also predeceased by his mother-in-law Louise (Berry) Gale, and sister and brothers-in-law Ronald Berry, Virginia (nee Berry) McNaughton and James Paul. A teacher by nature and by profession, Stan taught in the Windsor and Sandwich West Separate Schools from 1945 to 1961 before becoming a school inspector. He went on to become the first Director of Education for the Kent County Roman Catholic Separate Schools, a position he held until his retirement in 1981. At the age of 86 and following a miraculous recovery from end-stage congestive heart failure in September 2011, Stan founded the Detroit Lions Review Club as a way of communicating with his sons via computer emails. The club now boasts 18 good-natured members and is still going strong. At the age of 87, Stan wrote his autobiography “The Performance of My Life” as a legacy for his children and grandchildren. It gave him great pleasure to read the “reviews” sent to him by email from the many people who have read and enjoyed his book. Stan’s final mission and ministry began one month before his death as he invited his family and caregivers to write their prayer intentions in his prayer journal to be included in his daily prayers and offerings. Stan’s family would like to thank his many caregivers, friends and relatives who prayed for him and asked him to pray for their intentions. We are grateful to the CCAC Palliative Care team for their years of compassionate care and medical support. Thanks especially to his VON nurses Diane, Rose, Stacey and his nurse practitioner Jon Ann. Visitation will be held at the funeral home, 459 St. Clair St, Chatham, on Thursday December 11, 2014 from 7-9 pm and on Friday December 12, 2014 from 2-4 and 7-9 pm. Vigil Prayers will be shared at 3 pm on Friday. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Ursula’s Parish, 205 Tweedsmuir Ave West, Chatham on Saturday December 13 at 11 am with Rev. Matt Kucharski as Celebrant. Donations in memory of Stan may be made to the Canadian Food for Children - CK Branch or Right to Life Kent and may be arranged by contacting the funeral home. Online condolences may be left at www.mckinlayfuneralhome.com. Finally, we wish to thank God for the gift of Stan’s life and for the privilege of sharing in his incredible journey towards the house of the Father. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life Revelation 2:10