Obituary of Donald Leclair

Donald Joseph Leclair June 6, 1935 - July 12, 2019 Don was born in Ottawa, the first of 6 children, to Loleta & Joseph Leclair. Don, Jack, Betty, Marlene, Ken & Paul and their parents lived in a small house in the Overbrook neighbourhood, next to their Aunt Bertha & Uncle Gene. They all went to French elementary school, then English high school. After graduating, Don went up north to work in the logging camps. When he returned, he worked briefly for the government, and started with Bell Canada in 1956. He met Noreen Connors through mutual Bell Canada friends, and they married in 1960. Don retired from Bell Canada in 1993, after 37 years of service. But many of Don & Noreen's co-workers remain close friends to this day. Don & Noreen, raised their three daughters in Carlsbad Springs, Ontario. They quickly settled into rural lifestyle, centered on the family, friends, work and the church, to which his commitment remained strong throughout his life. He took up rabbit farming & gardening, and dealt with the maintenance & repairs on the property. He became an expert Mr. Fix-It, skilled in building, organizing & packing stuff. In future years he would help other newcomers to country life learn how to cope & manage the tasks. He would often be seen hauling tools to neighbours' or friends', and later to his daughters' homes, duct tape ever-present. Don & Noreen travelled extensively & frequently, at first with the family & later just the 2 of them. Much of their travel was by car: to New Brunswick to visit Noreen's family, to their cottage at Bennett Lake, with the rabbit breeders' club, a camping trip across the country, forays down the Eastern Seaboard. Over the years they've travelled all across Canada and the U.S., to Mexico, Nicaragua, and England. And everywhere they went they met new friends, and cultivated all those friendships. Today, their network of friends & acquaintances spreads out over a vast area of North America. Don worked hard. He made sure daughters Kim, Karen and Shelley got post-secondary educations, and saw them organized as much as he could. In 1978, a 4th daughter came into the family: Katia, a Mexican exchange student. Katia and her family stayed in close contact, and now her daughters call him Grandpa, too. Grandfatherhood was a wonderful new era for Don. This time with boys as well as girls, he was more evenly represented in family activities. Don developed Alzheimer's a few years ago but his true gentle & smiling nature never changed through that time. Don is predeceased by his parents, brothers-in-law Chuck Lambert & Ted Moffat, sister-in-law Carolyn Leclair, and nephew John Leclair. He leaves to mourn: Noreen his wife of 59 years, daughters Kim, Karen & Shelley; grandchildren Hjalmar, Jessica, Nicole, Kayla, Erin, Theo, Zachary & Oliver; brothers Jack (Lise), Ken & Paul (Denise); sisters Marlene Moffat & Betty Lambert as well as numerous nieces, nephews and friends. Thanks to Chapel Hill Retirement Residence staff along with doctors and staff at both Montfort and General Hospitals for their care of Don over the past several months. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, July 20, at 11 a.m. at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church in Russell, Ontario which will be followed by a reception in the church hall and burial at St. Laurent Parish in Carlsbad Springs beginning at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the Alzheimer's Society, Cornwall and District Branch. Thank you to Lafleur Funeral Home in Embrun for assisting with the arrangements. Funeral Service Saturday, July 20, 2019 11:00 am Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church 17 First Avenue Russell ON K0A 3B0