Obituary of Denis Chaput

Denis Roger Joseph Chaput, age 76, of Ste. Anne, MB, passed away on Thursday, June 29, 2023, at Ste. Anne Hospital, Ste. Anne, MB.

Dad was the third son born to Antoine and Therese Chaput.  He grew up on the family farm in Richer, Manitoba.  The family would grow to include three more brothers, a sister and two adopted siblings.  He went to school in Richer.  He would eventually meet our mother Claudette Nault at the Richer Inn.  They would marry in 1974 and go on to have three children.  Mom and Dad were not meant to last and he would then find companionship with Sharon Veinot. They lived many years together in Winnipeg until she passed in 2019.

Back in his younger days, Dad enjoyed playing baseball with his brothers.  Some tempers were known to fly, but I think this may be a family trait.   A competitive edge is known to run on the Chaput side.  Dad played back-catcher.  He was pretty good at it too.  So good in fact, they started to call him Yogi after major league player Yogi Berra.  The nick name stuck. 

Dad also did some league bowling and though he never played hockey he had a love for the game.  His team was the Montreal Canadians.  When he would pick us up for the weekend and there was a game on, the radio was always on picking up the game, he would drive around till the game was over.  If we were home the game was on the TV.  I guess this is where and how us boys got to be huge fans of the Montreal Canadians too.

Dad had many “adventures” involving vehicles, from flipping trucks, to car break downs, he went through more than his fair share of vehicles.  He did like to drive though as most of his jobs were some sort of driving security, right up until his last job working for a security company in Lorette before retirement.

Dad loved food, nuts were always a favorite.  He ate a lot of Chicken Chef before moving to Ste. Anne but he was a sucker for some homemade tourtiere and homemade bread. 

Dad spent the last couple years in the Ste. Anne nursing home.  His kind heart and his way of cheering people up quickly got him lots of friends.  Like our memere, his mom, he liked playing games.  He could be found around a table playing Skip-Bo, even if he rarely won he really enjoyed spending the time with his friends.  He was much luckier at Bingo. 

The most impressive thing about our humble father was that he was proud of us.  He would introduce us to anyone and everyone with pride in his voice.  He never missed our birthdays or those of his grandkids. On your birthday you could count on getting that call.  He will be missed for the simple fact that he loved everyone and was always happy to see the people in his life.

Denis was predeceased by his loving parents Antoine and Therese, his brother Emile and longtime companion Sharon.

He leaves to mourn his three children and their spouses; Mona (Jean), Marc (Rose) and Luc (Bobbie-Jo); seven grandchildren: Lakeishah, Breanne, Ashley, Rachel, Aalyah, Isabella and Conner. He also leaves two sisters and five brothers; Faye, Gilbert (Della), Albert (Lina), Michel (Monique), Janine (Gilbert), Patrick (Ruby) and Georges, as well as many nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held on Thursday, July 6, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. at Birchwood Funeral Chapel, Steinbach, MB.