First, we would like to express our deep gratitude to the friends and family members who are gathered here to pay their respects to a special man. We cannot thank you enough for all the love and kindness we have received.
Norval Godard, my grandpa was a great man. Born and raised in the City of Kapuskasing, he exemplified all the traits that Northerners value. He spent the majority of his adult life working in the construction industry. Considering the physical nature of his career, it is easy to
understand how hard working he was. He was never able to sit still, and his work ethic is something we’ll always remember.
He was a really funny, and wise man. There was rarely a moment when those around him did not have a smile on their face, or tears in their eyes from laughing. Every time we would get together I would be expecting his famous “joke of the day”, or a new story to learn a valuable lesson from.
My grandpa was a great mentor to me. Thanks to him I developed a lifelong passion for the outdoors. Hunting, Fishing, Navigating and many other things ... we did it all. I now cherish every moment that we got to spend together. When we weren’t spending our time outside, some of our favourite pastimes together were to play crib and watch his Montreal Canadiens.
My grandpa was not only a mentor to me and my family members, but he was also a teacher to many youth within the community. A lot of his spare time was spent at Cite Des Jeunes. Working side by side with young people to help train them in the woodworking trade.
The last years of his life were filled with much love and laughter. And although it is not easy to say good bye to a man we love so much. We can find comfort with each other and celebrate the life of an inspirational man, our hero.
Love forever, Pierre