Obituary of Josephine Marie Ange Rainville

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Josephine Rainville née (Colliou) on June 27, 2021 at Wascana Rehabilitation Center in Regina, SK. Mom was predeceased by her husband Emile in February 1991; her first born daughter, Jeanne in 1948; father Alexis; and mother Alphonsine

Josee was the last survivor of 11 siblings. Annette, Alexina, Rose, Henriette, Dorothée, Aimé, John, Edmond, Joseph, Louis. She is survived by four sons, Marcel (Gisele) and their children Michael and David; Luc and his children Keith (Tanya), Corey (Jennifer) and Scott (Jill); Louis (Debbie) and their children Jason (Sherry), Krista and Jonathan; and Claude (Linda) and his children Chantal (Lyall), Kristopher (Kayla). She is also survived by 10 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren.

Josee was born in St Laurent, MB and married the love of her life Emile in 1947. They raised their children on the family farm in Montmartre, SK where they lived until their retirement in 1972. Upon their retirement, they moved into the town of Montmartre where Mom gained employment at the local Co-op Grocery store.

Josee was a strong lady with lots of energy. She had many friends that were part of her social group in which she formed many close bonds over the years. Josee enjoyed participating in community events and was a long-standing member of the Ladies Auxiliary at the local Catholic Church of which she served as President for several years.  She participated in many fund-raising activities for the church which gave her a sense of belonging and as a way of giving back to her community. Josee had strong spiritual beliefs and exposed her children to the teachings of the church so they could make their own spiritual decisions.

Josee also had many hobbies which included paper tole, crocheting, furniture refinishing, along with being a great seamstress.

Mom’s main focus in life was raising her family. She ensured we were well prepared to take on our own responsibilities when it came to raising our own families. Mom instilled in us a strong value system and introduced us to as many learning opportunities as possible.

Her grandchildren and great grandchildren were the love of her life. She enjoyed helping out whenever possible and attended many family activities and sports events over the course of the years.

Mom would have enjoyed having a daughter or two but was very fortunate to have four beautiful daughters in law to share her love and also to accompany her on many shopping trips. In addition, she had many nieces and nephews that she formed close bonds over the years and always kept in touch to ensure that they were not forgotten.

As time passed on, Mom’s journey with Dementia kept progressing to the point when she had to be placed in personal care homes. This journey took quite a tole on her quality of life.

A special thank you to the staff on unit 3-6 at the Wascana Rehabilitation Center for their care and compassion. Our family is very appreciative for the kind care that was provided to our mother.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, a Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. Please check here for any updates.