Obituary of J. G. Roland Larouche

Roland was born in Macklin, Saskatchewan on October 14, 1945 to parents René and Juliette (nee Courchesne) Larouche. Roland completed much of his formative schooling in Chauvin at St. Aubin's School. He attended St Joseph's Catholic school in Edmonton for grades 11 and 12 and following that, moved back to Chauvin for good. He met Margaret Hansen, of Provost on a blind date, and they were married about a year later on July 29, 1966. Of the seventy years that he was with us, nearly 50 of those were spent with Margaret. Together Roland and Margie ran their family farm and raised four children. He was a humble man who led his family with an actions-speak-louder-than-words attitude. He had a tremendous sense of pride in his community. He always made a point of stating that your community was what you made it out to be, and because of this belief he volunteered a great deal of time in and around the community. Whether it be coaching children in hockey, refereeing, a member of a service club, or serving as a director on numerous boards in Chauvin and the surrounding community, Roland was quick to step forward with his time and whatever skill set he could offer. He was particularly proud of the time he spent, and the accomplishments that were made while serving as a councilor for nearly 20 years in the MD of Wainwright. In 1983 Roland and his family were presented with a "Farm Family Award" from the province, recognizing his contributions to the community. The family farm and the farming lifestyle ran deep in Roland's soul. Inheriting the responsibility of a family farm that was homesteaded by his grandfather in 1909 was extremely important to him, and in 1966, as a 20 year old, he purchased the farm from René. By the age of 21, Roland and Margie were running the farm together as newly minted parents of twin boys. By the time he was 28, two other children joined the fray. Roland and Margie continued to operate the farm together until the children were all old enough to pitch in. As three of their children found career paths that lead away, it was Kent that drawn toward life on the farm. Kent was greatly influenced by Roland and his passion for farming and because of this they partnered up to run the farm together. Kent's own family of boys came into the world and grew up with Grandpa teaching them the ropes along the way. Roland was particularly proud of the farm's "100 Years of Family Farming on the Original Homestead" award presented in 2009. Even with the all the time Roland spent running the farm and helping out in the community, he always found quality time to spend with his family and friends. Roland loved nothing more than to head out for a weekend of camping and fishing. Many spring weekends were spent at Ministikwan Lake with family and friends searching out the best pickerel holes. He would drag the trailer or motorhome out to Dillberry lake and park it there for a few weeks while the kids were in swimming lessons, returning to the farm each day to get the work done that needed to be done and heading back in the evening to socialize and relax. Summer holidays involved an almost annual trek with family and friends out to British Columbia and an annual fall trek to Las Vegas for adults became somewhat of a ritual for the gang from Chauvin. Once he started to head down a farmer's gradual path to retirement, he and Margie set out to see more of the world. They packed up the 5th wheel, and together with friends, made their way across Canada and the United States. They spent time in Cuba, Panama and Mexico and looked forward to spending many more years doing the same thing until health issues started to take their toll on Roland. After residing in the Provost Health Centre - Long Term Care for a year, Roland passed away Friday, February 19, 2016 at 70 years of age. Roland was predeceased by his parents, René and Juliette; and a sister, Laurette. He is survived by his wife Margaret; children: Chris (Tara) & Jean-Luc; Kent (Dana) & Jace, Tiegan, Tate; Matthew-René (Natashka) & Rowen, Coleman; Kara Eklund (Travis) & Hunter, Juliette; and sisters: Denise Kemp, Beth (Allen) Breunig; Dori (Andy) Whyte, and Marie-Claire (Dan) Halaburda and numerous nieces and nephews. He will also be dearly missed by his family and his many friends and neighbours. Roland was baptized, married and is now being laid to rest in the Sacred Heart Parish in Chauvin. He was passionate about preserving the historical significance and beauty of this church in the community. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that a donation instead be made in his name to Sacred Heart Parish, Chauvin for future maintenance and upkeep of the building. Please make cheques payable to: Blessed Sacrament Church, Wainwright and on the Memo Line note: Sacred Heart Church Fund, Chauvin