ALICE (LAFLAMME) BEAUBIEN

Published September 3, 2020

ALICE (LAFLAMME) BEAUBIEN

Our dearly loved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother died in Ottawa on Thursday, August 20, 2020, at the age of 93, after a short but intense battle with cancer.

She is survived by her daughters, Suzanne and Dr. Lise Beaubien; her grandchildren, Adam Ellis, Katherine Ellis (Marc Giamberardino and great-grandson Philip) and Sarah Ellis (Paul Harris); her brother Rolland, his wife Ruth and her nephews Gary (June) and Royal Laflamme.

The daughter of Aldéa and Raoul Laflamme, Alice was born in 1926. She grew up in Eastern Ontario (St. Raphaël, Alexandria and Cornwall). At the age of 21, she moved to St. Catharines in Southern Ontario, where a close friend had secured her a job as a waitress. It’s there that she met her husband, Bernard, whom she married in 1949. He died in January 2019.

For nearly 45 years, she worked in the hospitality industry as a waitress in the banquet halls and dining rooms of the former Leonard and Henley hotels, as well as the Parkway Inn. Known for her professionalism and excellent people skills, she was well respected by her employers and colleagues and greatly appreciated by her customers.

She was active in the city’s French parish, Église Immaculée-Conception, as a member of the church choir, the Dames chrétiennes and Filles d’Isabelle. Famous for organizing a profitable penny sale/white elephant table at the annual church bazaar, she was also part of the kitchen team that served banquets in the two church halls and made tourtières for sale at Christmas. She and her husband were part of Le Club des 500 that supported the purchase of a lakeside property for the francophone community’s Club LaSalle.

She always considered St. Catharines to be her true home. However, in 2014 and well into her 80s, she reluctantly agreed to move to Ottawa to be close to her daughters so they could help care for their father who was in failing health.

Throughout her life, she gave of herself tirelessly. She was a wonderful and caring mother who supported her daughters’ ambitions and helped them achieve their dreams. She doted on her grandchildren. And she thanked God for allowing her to welcome her great-grandson, Philip, into her life. Even after her diagnosis, she made sure she was well enough to celebrate “her” Philip’s first birthday (mask and all)!

Her family, including the extended members of the Laflamme and Beaubien clans, as well as the Giamberardino and Ellis families, feel blessed to have known her.

Thank you to the wonderful staff at Place Besserer, Village Bruyère in Orléans and her palliative care team, including Drs. Michael, Vincent and Plaintive.

Due to government-imposed restrictions related to COVID-19, attendance at the funeral to be held in Ottawa is restricted to a limited number of individuals personally invited by the family. All others can view the service to be held on September 10, 2020, at 1 p.m. through a livestream broadcast. The link will be available on the Beechwood Cemetery website. Online condolences can also be registered at any time at www.beechwoodottawa.ca.

Should you wish to honour her memory, please feel free to make a donation in her name to a charity of your choice.