Yvette Seraphine (Dube) NORMAND

The passing of Yvette Normand(nee Dube) of Rosetown Saskatchewan occurred at Orange Memories on September 9, 2021 at the age of 95.

Born in Saint- Jean-Port-Joli, Quebéc on October 8, 1925, Yvette Dubé was the daughter of Victor Dubé, owner of the Dubé coffin factory and director of the Saint-Jean-Port-Joli funeral home. She was the third of eleven children born to Victor and Amanda Dubé.

After her first studies at the parish convent, Yvette began studying nursing at the Hôpital Saint-Sacrement in Québec in 1944. After graduating in 1947, she began her career at Holy Ghost Hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts in long-term care. Two years later she returned to Québec to work in obstetrics at Misericordia Hospital where she remained for two years. She then started working at Notre Dame Hospital in Montréal. In 1957, Yvette joined the Royal Canadian Airforce which took her to work in Parent, Québec, Comox, British Columbia, and the Queen Mary Veterans Hospital in Montreal. From 1959 to 1963, she worked for the Institute of Microbiology at the University of Montréal and then toured the province as part of a tuberculosis immunization campaign.

It is while visiting, her sister Marie-Paule, who had married Bertrand Normand, a farmer from Sovereign that she met her future husband, Albert Normand.  After a decade of courtship, they were married at Notre-Dame-des-Neiges in Montréal in 1963. After their wedding the couple drove to Saskatchewan with Yvette’s new Ford Galaxy 500. They settled in Rosetown where Albert had purchased a new home. While Albert continued to operate the family farm with his brother, Yvette pursued her nursing career in Milden and eventually at Rosetown Union Hospital. She remained there for 25 years, 15 of those being an operating room nurse. After Albert’s death in 2003, Yvette returned to Québec City until 2013, when she decided to return to Rosetown to reunite with her nieces and nephews with whom she had been very close.

She lived in the Oasis until the opening of Orange Memories in 2015 where she spent her last six- and one-half years.

Yvette and Albert were avid travelers visiting many countries and continents. They attended family functions throughout Canada and California and family reunions, Normand and Dubé in Québec and overseas. A special memory for them was attending the 50th memorial of the end of WWII in Holland where Albert had served. All visitors coming to the farm were taken quite often to western highlights such as Banff, Jasper and Vancouver. They took nieces and nephews on various holidays during summer months. Brigitte always had a special place in Yvette and Albert’s hearts.

In 1966 Albert survived a massive heart attack during harvest. Yvette took over combining that year helping Bert and Louis. She shoveled grain and cleaned bins. Yvette had confidence and took on any task that needed to be done. She worked in the piggery doing chores when Albert was laid up. Yvette drove meals to the field during harvest as Marie-Paule did not drive.

Besides travelling and working, Yvette enjoyed taking friends and attending bingo games in and around Rosetown. She would often buy lottery tickets and occasionally play the slot machines. She was lucky in these pursuits. Skip Bo was a card game that she enjoyed.

She is survived by her brother Roland(Rita) Dubé of Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, Québec, sister, Nicole D’Amboise of Québec City, sister-in-law, Magella Dubé of Québec City and Isabelle Bird of Sacramento and brother-in-law Joe Thompson of Okanagan Falls. Also, Bert and Marie-Paule’s children, France Gates(Glen), Nicole Ptolemy(Bob), Michèle Minish(Orville), Brigitte Normand, nephew René Normand and many more nieces and nephews from across Canada and California.

She is predeceased by her parents, Victor and Amanda Dubé, husband Albert Normand, sisters, Marie-Paule Normand, Lucille Cloutier, Hélène Jean, Noëlla Dupont, Jacqueline Bedard, brothers, Jean-Marie Dubé, Andre Dubé, and Henri Dubé, and nephews Renaud Dupont and Louis Normand.

A celebration of life was held on Friday October 1, 2021 at 11:00 at St. Theresa’s Roman Catholic Church. Memorial donations can be made to Orange Memories Activity Fund Box 1900 Rosetown,SK or the Rosetown Branch 66 of the Royal Canadian Legion Box 1083 Rosetown, SK.