Ivy Nellie GIRARD

Ivy Nellie Girard , of Hearst Date of Death: March 31st, 2006 The funeral service for pioneer Hearst resident Ivy Nellie Girard, 96, was held April 3, 2006. She died March 31 at the Foyer des pionniers nursing home. Born June 20, 1909 in Nottingham, England, she was named after the sprig of ivy adorning her father’s suit at her birth. She was later known to one and all as "Momma". After coming to Hearst in 1921 with family, she began keeping a daily diary of the weather, and continued that for more than 40 years. A lover of life and a loving caregiver who valued the importance of family, she was a member of the Branch 173 Legion Ladies Auxiliary and St. Matthew’s Church Ladies. She enjoyed gardening, knitting afghans, tea breaks, baking, time spent at the family cottage, travelling, and partying. She could also be "quite colourful in expressing her thoughts, and we all agree that she did express her thoughts," son-in-law Réjean Vaillancourt recalled. "You would not bring Ivy along on a diplomatic mission. "She never beat around the bush, and she would give you the right time of day. You knew where you stood with Momma." She was predeceased by her husband Willis Girard of Hearst in 1972, grandon Jeffrey Lahde of Hearst in a 1995 highway accident, and twin sister Kathleen Phillips of Saskatoon in 2001. She leaves daughters Sylvia (Albert) Lahde, Dorothy Leger, and Deborah (Réjean) Vaillancourt, all of Hearst, and son Ronald Girard of Blenheim, Ont., a sister Hilda Charles of Beaverton, five granddaughters, five grandsons, and nine great grandchildren. Rev. Douglas Richardson officiated at the service held at St. Matthew’s & St. Paul’s Anglican United Church. Interment will take place at Riverside Cemetery. Commemorative donations may be made to the Foyer home or St. Matthew’s & St.-Paul’s Church.