Obituary of Jeannine Therese Piche

Mrs. Jeannine Piché (née LeBlanc) beloved wife of 57 years to Leo Piché, of Medicine Hat, passed away on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012, at the age of 78. She left this earth after a brave struggle with cancer and surrounded by her loving children and husband. From their love, grew a large family consisting of five children: Michel (married Brenda Korchinski), Lise Piché-Moor (married Alain Moor), Ronald Piché (married Kim Humphries), Margo MacDougall (married Scott MacDougall) and Loraine Piché (married Jeff Jantz) producing 16 cherished grandchildren. She was pre-deceased by her parents, Lionel and Adele, brother Andre and survived by siblings: Roland LeBlanc, Gérald LeBlanc, Léonette LeBlanc, Marcel LeBlanc, and Renée Auger. She was the sixth of seven children born to a first-generation transplanted Acadian boy and a local French-Canadian girl. Her father Lionel Leblanc was a merchant and skilled butcher. Her mother, Adèle LeBlanc (née Lizée) was a woman of high standards and a strong Catholic who passed on her values to Jeannine. Adèle died young when Jeannine was only 13, an event that strongly influenced her life. They lived above the general store in Gravelbourg and then on the corner of main street near the statue of the town’s founding father, Father Gravel. Jeannine had a voracious appetite for reading, with a focus primarily on history and inspirational books. Later in life, she found a true calling as a French teacher’s assistant at Connaught Elementary in Medicine Hat. The students showed an unabashed love for her. Her priority, however, was clearly her family. She was the centrepiece of annual summer gatherings at Whitefish, sharing her wit and wisdom with each and every one of her children and grandchildren. She was not inclined to temper any of her advice, but chose a loving and direct means of communication. Despite the pain and anguish of her dying days, she showed a remarkable faith, courage and, indeed, sense of humour. She summoned the resolve in her weakened condition to tell each of her children that, upon her death, she did not want tears but wanted "laughter” and "giggles.” Her children and grandchildren have each been inspired by the manner in which she lived her life and, indeed, the manner in which she died. We have already begun to miss her but have confidence that her loved ones will live their lives in a manner that is true to her remarkable values Donations to Amnesty International, www.amnesty.ca, are gratefully accepted.