Avis de décès de Armand Bernier

ARMAND BERNIER1930 – 2017Armand passed from this life after sunset on Wednesday, April 12, 2017. He leaves his wife of 61 years, Magdelina (nee Yungwirth) and their 6 children: his daughters, Janice, Carol, Laurie and Lynn, and his sons, Marc and Dean, 8 grandchildren and 1 great- grandchild, and one sister, Irene Cameron. Born in Prince Albert, SK on Monday, September 15, 1930, Armand was the only son of Noé and Cecile (nee Boyer) Bernier. Noé was the eldest of the Berniers, who settled in the Domremy, Hoey and St. Louis areas from the USA. Armand was often mistaken as the kid brother of Noé and his siblings, Onézime, Isadore, Nap, Emile, Raymond, Delima Dupuis, Agna Davidson and Antoinette Baribeau. As neighbors to the Boyers, his mother''s side of the family, Armand grew up near to the families of Louise Lacroix, Pierre Boyer, Marie Neefs, Julie Christie, Margaret Dubard, Lucien Boyer and Therese Boyer. Armand attended school in Hoey, and at St. Joseph''s Academy, known as the St. Louis Convent. He curled, skied, played ball and worked with his dad and uncles on the farm. He was the proud owner of a black Shetland pony named "Charlie". He moved with his parents and his sister Irene from the Tom Galloway farm at St. Louis to Prince Albert in 1952. Armand''s first job as "The Culligan Man" was when he met Magdelina. They both became active members of the Sacred Heart Catholic Youth Organization "CYO" and married in June of 1955. They moved back to the Bernier farm, mixed farming. He and Mag raised their family as part of the community, with activities and interests in the church, 4-H, figure skating, hockey, curling and ball. Armand was a Charter member of the Lions'' Club, and proud owner of the first Skidoo in the area, and could often be seen along Highway 2 with his children on sleds behind. The driver of the transit bus to Saskatoon would laugh as he''d see Armand on his skidoo, swinging around the barn pulling his carhood- stone boat, full of manure. The highlight of Armand''s life was the Prince Albert Exhibition Centennial Wagon Trek in 1983, on the Carlton Trail from Saskatoon to Prince Albert, then parading down Central Avenue. With his involvement, Armand became the Director of the Draft Horse Committee of the Prince Albert Exhibition Association. He showed his prize Belgian horses with his family, all involved at one time or another, and he won many awards and ribbons for halter and driving classes, also earning a Lifetime Membership Award. When Armand arrived at ''coffee row'' in St. Louis, his chair was quickly vacated out of respect, and as an elder of the area, he was often questioned about past history and events. After back surgery in 1989 and again in 1998, followed by a knee replacement, he was forced to let go of his cattle herd, missing the spring calves and foals, chasing themselves around the yard to see how close they could get to Armand. As his health deteriorated, he retired from active farming. He played music with "Fiddlers and Friends" at events and in homes for seniors, also recording two CDs. In 2014 after two more back surgeries and ten months in hospital, he became confined to a wheelchair and a walker, making it necessary to move, first into an apartment in Prince Albert and then into the Good Shepherd Villa. Armand was popular with the residents and especially the staff, but forever wished he was back on the farm, which proves the saying: "You can take the boy from the farm, but you can''t take the farm from the boy!" Armand''s Funeral Mass will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 22, 2017 at Sacred Heart Cathedral, 1401 4th Avenue West, Prince Albert, SK, Father Matthew Nguyen, Celebrant. Cremation to follow with interment at a later date at Prince Albert Memorial Gardens. Donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, 26 - 1738 Quebec Avenue, Saskatoon, SK, S7K 1V9 or the Kidney Foundation of Canada, 2217 Hanselman Court, Saskatoon, SK, S7L 6A8 would be appreciated by the family. Funeral arrangements are entrusted to River Park Funeral Home in Prince Albert, SK, 306-764-2727, Don Moriarty, Funeral Director.