Obituary of Philippe Gaudet

Peacefully, on Monday, February 19, 2024, at the St. Boniface Hospital, Philippe Gaudet passed away at the age of 75.

He is survived by his wife Simone (née Gagnon), his children: Adèle (Adam Long), Jonathan, and Alain; grandchildren: Josué, Emmanuelle, Olivia, Amélie, Félix, Charles, and Madeleine. 

Philippe is also survived by his sister Irene (André Rabu), brothers André (Wendy née Forand), Leo, and Marc. He is also survived by mother-in-law Anita Gagnon (nee Gauthier), many brothers and sisters-in-law as well as many nephews, nieces, and friends. 

He was predeceased by his parents Edmond and Aline Gaudet (née Durocher), his younger sister Agnès (born sleeping), and his father-in-law Abel Gagnon.

Philippe Jules Gaudet was born on May 31^st, 1948, at the Holy Family Hospital in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. He is the second eldest of Edmond and Aline Gaudet’s (née Durocher) six children. He grew up in the towns of Domremy and St. Isidore de Bellevue, Saskatchewan, alternating between living with his parents in Domremy and his grandparents, Lucien Gaudet and Marie Blanche Chamberland, in Bellevue. Phil spent his younger years helping his dad on the farm, taking care of his sick mother, and roaming the countryside with his brother Andy and his friends. He and his sister Irène played a big part in raising younger siblings André, Léo, and especially Marc, his godson and youngest brother.

Phil graduated from Domremy school in 1967, at the age of 19. He promptly left home to travel, attending the Summer of Love in San Francisco and Expo ’67 in Montréal, before enrolling at the University of Saskatchewan for a year in the pursuit of arts. He would not marry until the age of 36, giving him plenty of time to develop hobbies and skills he would go on to share with his children and friends. He had the passion and the talent for pottery, painting, drafting, photography, calligraphy, and woodworking to name a few. He produced many works of art that his friends and family still cherish to this day. From crocks to clocks, Phil made it all, leveraging a career with the Canadian National Railway to fund his projects and charitable endeavors.

Having the opportunity for a career with CN, Phil left University. Despite excelling in both arts and science, the railway was his calling. He started out as a general labourer in between classes and would commit himself to railway for over 30 years. On October 31, 1975, he became a qualified Train Dispatcher after having spent time as a Station Clerk. Phil dedicated his life to his career, going above and beyond the book. In the mid-nineties, firmly established in Winnipeg, his post at Union Station was moved to Edmonton. Given the option to retire and take a bridging contract until 2003, he chose to give up the railway to focus on his wife and kids. He thus retired from CN as a Chief Rail Traffic Controller. This sudden change was a sad time for Phil, as losing his long-established identity for the sake of his family was a tremendous sacrifice. To cope, both emotionally and financially, he found an outlet in his community church, applying for the post of custodian. There began a new chapter in Phil’s life.

It wasn’t sufficient to simply wax the floors, polish the benches and mow the grass at l’Église Saint-Eugène: Phil helped with just about everything. He could often be seen at the front of the church, serving mass with his sons. He was a Scoutmaster with Scouts Canada by night, and would pound the pavement for Canadian Diabetes, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, and the Knights of Columbus by day. As a 4^th degree Knight, he was involved in running many things for his chapter. Fulfilling the role of treasurer, to Grand Knight, Phil could often be found helping with parish dinners, ticket drives, and little things like driving people to their doctor’s appointments He was especially known for his spectacular Christmas Crèche displays at church, spending several days each holiday season planning and organizing all aspects of the display.

Working at the church helped revitalize Phil and he would go on to attend courses at Red River College to establish his own home renovation business “Baseline Services”. During this chapter of his life, Phil could be found building decks, fences, garages, cabins, renovating kitchens and bathrooms, among other helpful tasks. He charged a bargain price and put in many ten- or twelve-hour workdays to make ends meet.

Phil was a man filled with compassion, empathy, warmth. He had great appreciation of all things living, both flora and fauna. These qualities were especially apparent when he was around babies, young children and pets. At family functions he would often be found playing with his numerous nieces, nephews, and younger cousins, instead of hanging out with the older crowd. He spent many of his elder days babysitting and mentoring his seven grandchildren - they were the light in some of his darkest days and his spirit will live on in them and all others he loved.

He is and will always be missed.

The memorial service will be held Thursday, February 29, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. at the Ste. Anne Roman Catholic Parish with video presentation prior to the service. To join the family via livestream please click HERE shortly before the service. The ash interment will take place at the parish cemetery.