Obituary
Ronald Bernard Duhaime
His family announces with sadness his death at the age of 79 on the 8th of June 2020 at the Geraldton District Hospital. He left us on his own terms which was the way he lived his whole life. COVID made it impossible to visit with him personally since his hospitalization in March but, we were still able to have virtual visits and phone calls which was the best we could do under the circumstances.
Ronald was born on the 13th of November 1940 in Geraldton to Isadore and Georgina Duhaime. He was the youngest of 4 children.
He worked at the Geraldton Gold mine as well as Weldwood for many years after that. He was a 4th degree member of the Knights of Columbus and took great pride in that. He had a strong faith and a belief that whatever would be would be, in regards to his failing health. He took great joy in constructing benches for everyone he knew and, if you were lucky enough to have one made for you, he would hand deliver it. He always felt a special bond with the people he gifted these benches to. He was a very hard person to love sometimes but, with that being said, he did have a gentle soul underneath that very rough exterior but this was not something everyone was fortunate enough to ever witness. This side of him always came through whenever he was around animals or the newest members of our families over the years. He had a few pet birds over the years but, his most recent love was his cat Nalla and when he talked about her, that soft side of him would shine through. His pockets were always filled with treats for any dog he ever came across.
He loved his coffee breaks at “the Crown” with his friend Don MacDougal or Ryan and he had the rare gift of being able to find one issue after another to argue about with anyone who would engage. Whether it was politics, the gold mine reopening, the highway conditions, hockey… he had his views on all of it. One thing was for sure, you never had to wonder what he thought about something or someone and, to our embarrassment at times, he would tell everyone exactly what was on his mind – not something that everyone enjoyed for sure.
He is survived by his nephew and nieces John (Guylaine) Duhaime and their children Ryan Duhaime (Vicky) and his great great nieces Paisley and Hazel and Crystal Duhaime (Vaughn), Sharon (Mike) Groeneveld and their children Keenan and Braxton and Michael Duhaime (Shannon) as well as great nephew Peter (Hayley)Garvie and their children Parker and Carter, great nephew Vernon Adams and great niece Polly McCarty and their families and nephew (Tom (Donna) Duhaime , niece Janice (Rob) Zywina . He also had a special place in his heart for the Kolody girls (Natalie, Trish, Melissa and Stephanie) and they considered him their Uncle as well.
He was predeceased by his Dad Isadore, at a very young age and later his Mom Georgina, his brother Joe, sister Bernadette (husband John) Slikus and brother Jack (wife Rosie) and niece Nanci Adams.
In lieu of flowers, just being kind to animals or donations to the charity of your choice would be greatly appreciated.
There will be no service at this time and a private family burial due to restrictions. Hopefully we can gather at a later date to share a story or two.
With all of the thunder through the night, we are assured that he arrived with a bang and safely at his final destination. You are finally free from “pain like you’ve never seen”. Rest easy Uncle Ronald aka “cheeks”
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Ronald Duhaime June 8 2020..
Death notice for the town of: Geraldton, Province: Ontario