BLANCHETTE Irene Marie Thérèse

December 14, 1923- April 3, 2019

It is with sadness we announce the passing of our mother, Irene Blanchette, at 95 years. She is predeceased by her husband of 66 years, Alfred, all the Blanchette’s of her generation, her siblings and most of their spouses. She is survived by her seven children: Gisele Blanchette (Melvin Wasylyshin) of Saskatoon, Rose Marie Blanchette of North Battleford, Maurice(Linda) Blanchette of Saskatoon, Annette(Lionel) Textor of Calgary, Colette (Luc)Bezaire of Saskatoon, Beatrice (Rick) Reid of Saskatoon, Pierre Blanchette of Edmonton; 18 grandchildren, 23 great grandchildren, two in-laws and numerous nieces and nephews. Irene was born to Donat Parent and Françoise (Abgrall) in Blaine Lake, the ninth of eleven children. She considered joining the army when WW II was declared. Father Michaud, the parish priest, nixed that! She was nursing at the Sk. Hospital near North Battleford when she met the love of her life, Alfred. They married June 10, 1947. They homesteaded on the farm outside Vawn for 30 years. She served on the Vawn Comm Assoc., was active in the Catholic Women’s League, l’A.C.F.C., taught Sewing I and II in 4-H.  She was a strong advocate for French education, once cornering Pierre Trudeau on that subject, and a voice for Rights and Support for people living with challenges. While managing a busy farm household, she enjoyed gardening, camping, fishing, knitting, baking and visiting family and friends. Gregarious and outgoing, she loved hostessing. Réveillons at Christmas were legendary and huge! Alfred and Irene enjoyed wintering in Yuma, spending time with friends, nieces and nephews. Their sense of adventure and love of family meant trips to Expo ‘67 and ’86 and Europe ‘83, the USA and Canada, and EVERY Family Reunion! Irene was postmistress in Vawn for 7 years following Alfred’s retirement. In 2000 they moved to the Maples I in North Battleford. In 2009, they moved to Esther’s Place, sharing a bed until Alfred’s passing in 2014. Irene then moved to St Ann’s Home in Saskatoon. Never idle, she enjoyed new friends, Kick Ball and as always, music. We gratefully thank the staff for their compassionate care. Viewing will be held from 2:00-5:00 pm on Thursday, April 11 at Sallows & McDonald – Wilson and Zehner Funeral Home, 1271-103rd Street North Battleford. Prayer Service will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday April 11 from St.Joseph Calasanctius R.C. Church 1942-98 Street, North Battleford. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, April 12, also from St Joseph Calasanctius R.C. Church. Please feel free to wear colors-not grey. After lunch, interment will follow at the Jackfish Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to St Ann’s Senior Citizen’s Village Corporation. Condolences for the family may be left at www.sallowsandmcdonald.com, Sallows & McDonald-Wilson & Zehner Funeral Home, 306-445-2418.

• Date : 2019-04-03
• Location : Saskatoon, SK.