The Bruneau family is heartbroken to announce the sudden passing of our beloved Georges who died peacefully with his wife and children by his side on October 12, 2024, one day before his 68th wedding anniversary.
He leaves to mourn his loving wife, Célima (née Grégoire), his children Marc (Monique), Gaston, Georgette (Henri Dupuis), Pauline Bruneau (Olivier Gareau), David (Danielle) as well as grandchildren Philippe Bruneau (Jill), Rachelle (Karl Nato), Mélanie (Josh Furlan), Sarah Bruneau (Darnell Gordon), Anthony Bruneau (Kayla Pappel), Éric Dupuis (Christine), Gabrielle Dupuis, Muriel Dupuis (Rahim Limam), Martin Dupuis, Bastien Alberola, Paul Alberola, Alana (Glen Munholland), Rylee Bruneau (Preston Phillips) and Olivia Bruneau. He was so proud to welcome his 9 great grandchildren, Miles Bruneau, Justin and Eric Nato, Madison and Derek Furlan, Braxton Gordon, Frédéric and Élodie Dupuis and Grace Munholland into his family! He is also survived by his sisters Rose-Marie (Roger Brémault), Anne-Marie (Richard Roy) and sisters-in-law, Irène Bruneau and Léola Parent.
He was predeceased by his parents Ludger and Angélina Bruneau, granddaughter Christine Bruneau as well as his three brothers and three sisters.
Georges Antonio Joseph Bruneau came into this world on June 16, 1927 and had happily celebrated each and every birthday with gusto ever since! He was the middle child being the 5th out of 9 children. He had a happy childhood and loved his siblings wholeheartedly.
After completing his schooling in St. Jean Baptiste, he worked in Winnipeg throughout the winter months however, every spring, he was always drawn back to the farm where he would work the land alongside his father and brothers.
In 1953, he found himself in need of a date to accompany him to a wedding so he went out on a limb and asked a beautiful neighbour girl to go with him. It must have been a memorable time because 3 years later, Georges asked Célima to marry him. On October 13, 1957, they were married in a beautiful church service in St Jean. While living in St Jean, they welcomed two sons, Marc and Gaston. In 1965, Georges and Célima purchased their very first parcel of land, RL 296 complete with a quaint little house and barn. There they welcomed 2 daughters, Georgette and Pauline and lastly, son David. On the homestead, Georges loved to raise hogs, beef and poultry. He continued to farm with his brothers until his retirement in 1997.
Georges was a man of great faith: in nature, in human kind and, most importantly, in God. He faithfully attended Catholic Mass every Sunday and prayed daily, as evidenced by his worn out prayer book. His love of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit was the foundation for his life. The love he had for Célima and his children ran deeply through his veins. He cherished his family and often would say that raising his three sons and two daughters was his greatest achievement of his life.
His love grew exponentially with the addition of every grandchild and great-grandchild. During visits with family, he wanted to know all about their lives and was so proud of their accomplishments-from learning to walk, to graduations, to weddings. Every moment was a reason to celebrate!
Although farm life was hard work and time consuming, Georges always made time to volunteer to help his family and his community. Whether it was sitting on the board of directors for the Club des Pionniers & the Paradis des Pionniers or being a Grand Knight for the Knights of Columbus, he was always prepared to listen to various points of view and offer his insight. He wouldn’t hesitate to roll up his sleeves and get the work done. He was surprised when he was awarded the volunteer service award from the Manitoba Council of Aging for his 30+ years of dedication. Georges was also proud to achieve a 25 years of service recognition for his work as secretary and then as president of the Manitoba Pool Elevators Subdistrict 205. Volunteering didn’t end when he and Célima retired to Winnipeg. Georges loved to call and play BINGO and organize card game nights for his new retirement community at Villa Aulneau. He volunteered there up until a few days before his passing. He loved his fellow residents and they loved him too.
The family would like to thank the ER and GH4 staff at HSC for their caring and compassion during Georges final hours. A special thank you to the Centre de Santé Saint-Boniface as well as Dr. Isabelle Paquin for their care. Thank you to Corey Wall from the Morris Funeral for his kindness and compassion during this difficult time.
A Catholic service will be held at the St. Jean Baptiste Roman Catholic Church on Saturday, October 19, 2024. Prayers will start at 1:30 pm followed by the service at 2:00pm. Burial will take place in the St Jean cemetery and will be followed by a reception at the St. Jean Centennial Hall.