MAURICE FRENETTE

Maurice Leonard Frenette, 82, passed away suddenly on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2015 at the Thunder Bay Health Sciences Centre in Thunder Bay, Ont.
Predeceased by his wife and parents, Maurice was raised with his sister, Victoria (Bill) Wishart, in Fort Frances, Ont. by Leonard and Zelma Frenette.
Maurice married his sweetheart, Charlotte (Green), and the two of them moved to Dryden, Ont. in 1958, where they raised their family, daughters, Lorraine Frenette-Mubita and Shirlee (David) Rustan, and son, Murray (Angelina) Frenette.
Maurice and Charlotte shared 43 years of marriage. Their love further lives on in the memories and lives of their grandchildren, Sabina and Gillian Mubita, Kyle (Jessica), Brock (Chelsea), and Joel (Amanda) Rustan, and Bruce and Gunnar Anderson; and through Maurice and Charlotte’s nieces, Shari, Nicole, Kristen, and their families; as well as Maurice’s special friend, Evelyn Shepherd.
After 36 years, Maurice retired from the Ministry of Natural Resources as the Senior Park Technician. He supervised many area parks, including Blue Lake and Aaron Park, and led many improvement projects, such as the creation of the Aaron Park comfort station, and the pavilion and interpretative centre at Blue Lake.
He also brought hydro to Blue Lake.
Maurice was a hard worker who also found time for fun. He enjoyed curling and darts, and loved hunting and spending time outdoors. He loved animals, especially his doggies, Bud and Sadie.
In 2009, Maurice was inducted into the Borderland Racing Association (Emo Raceway) Hall of Fame and was recognized as one of the original stock car drivers (car #100) who opened the track in 1954.
Over his life, Maurice made a commitment to share time and knowledge with a variety of community organizations, as well as individuals. He is well-known to many as the guy they could call for help with anything.
Some of his sharing included serving as a member of the Canadian Order of Foresters, where he was a leader planning and hosting the Canadian Dominion Curling Championships in Dryden.
For more than 10 years, he volunteered his time managing and operating the Canadian Order of Foresters bar and hall. He gave many local bands a start and a place to gain confidence by hosting open mic nights.
Maurice’s volunteerism impacted more organizations than we have space to name, but some of them include the Dryden Conservation Club, the Canadian Red Cross, where he was a volunteer first aid and CPR trainer, and the Dryden Rifle and Pistol Club. For many years, Maurice was a trainer for hunter safety and firearms acquisition programs.
He also was a member of the Masonic Lodge in Dryden.
The Dryden Army Cadets also benefited from Maurice’s time and knowledge. He was an adult officer and ran the shooting program for the army and sea cadets. This often was the first time many kids were introduced to shooting and firearm safety.
Maurice has been a long-standing member of the Dryden branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, where he served as Sergeant-at-Arms and took great pride in planning and serving in Rememberance Day events and the cenotaph program.
Maurice was committed to honoring our veterans. He made it a priority to ensure no veteran’s grave would be forgotten on Flag Day. He painstakingly worked to locate names and graves of veterans, created maps and routes for volunteers to locate and place the flags, and organized volunteers each year to ensure no veteran would be missed.
He maintained these detailed records year after year. He felt it was extremely important that people, especially veterans, were remembered.
To ensure this occurred, he made a point of travelling to overgrown and often forgotten cemeteries, such as one at Gold Rock, to clear fallen trees and uncover headstones, recording names and details of veterans and sometimes making imprints of their headstones, as well.
In 2012, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of, and thanks for, his dedicated service to his peers, to his community, and to Canada.
Maurice continues to make a lasting impact on all of us and our communities.
A celebration of Maurice’s life will be held Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2015 at 11 a.m. at the Royal Canadian Legion in Dryden.
In lieu of flowers, in memoriam donations may be made to the Legion Athletic Camp, 365 Lynbrook Dr., Winnipeg, Man., R3R 0T2.
Cremation has occurred and interment will occur at a later date.