He was larger than life 鈥� he rose early each morning never wanting to waste a precious day that he was given. A man that always spoke the truth and said it 鈥渟traight from the hip鈥�, as the expression goes. He had a passion for life, and lived each day to the fullest, never wanting to sit around complaining or wasting a single moment. There wasn鈥檛 any task or job he wouldn鈥檛 tackle. He'd challenge it and the majority of times, he鈥檇 succeed. It didn鈥檛 matter what it was, he would try to make it work, and this he encouraged in his children, grandchildren, and the many others that he took under his wing. 鈥淭ry it鈥�, he鈥檇 say, 鈥渋f it doesn鈥檛 work, we鈥檒l fix it鈥�.
A seemingly quiet man with a huge heart and an enormous network of family and friends - he wasn鈥檛 a man of many words, but his actions spoke loudly 鈥� he was always there to help anyone. He was our protector 鈥� he was our rock, our hero 鈥� it amazed us how one man could offer protection and support to so many people - you didn鈥檛 need to be related to him to be offered this, you only needed to ask for support, and if you genuinely wanted to help yourself, he would help you. He was respected by many, and his word was binding. He made business arrangements with a handshake only... he was trusted. He was Dad, husband, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle, cousin, partner, friend, and mentor. He was known affectionately as 鈥淕rumps鈥�.
It is with the utmost disbelief and sadness that we have to announce the sudden passing of this wonderful man. Paul Chicoine, husband to Treva, father to Laurie, Marnie (Doug), Joseph, step-father to Glen (Denise) and Laurie (Mark), grandfather to Jamie, Christina, Jennifer, Heather, Alycia, Tyson, Amy, Cianna, Megan and Matthew. Great-grandfather, friend, and mentor to many. Paul passed away suddenly December 22, 2010 at the age of 70.
After leaving home at a young age, he worked many jobs growing up. He loved the cowboy part of his life, guiding in the Kamloops area, and the years raising his family on the ranch in the Francois Lake BC area.
He was a mechanic by trade and a pilot by passion, building his own airplane. Flying was his pleasure. He spent his days analyzing, diagnosing, repairing and rebuilding all things mechanical, being innovative and creative. He kept his body in excellent shape and treated it like a fine motor... preventative maintenance and yearly tune-ups. He had, however, an underlying problem that he was not aware of. As a family we feel blessed he did not know, and that he was able to live his life to the fullest. He died with an oversized heart, something that we always knew he had.
Joseph Gerard Paul Chicoine was born Feb 17, 1940 in Eaton, Quebec to Gerard and Catherine Chicoine (Klein). Brother to Hank (Bev), Joan (Art), Jewel, and Roger. At the age of eight, his mom passed away and he missed her all his life. We know that she is taking care of him now.
His family has chosen to celebrate his life with his many relatives, friends, associates, and all those that touched his life with kindness. A Memorial will be held at 11 a.m. February 19, 2011 at the Calvary Community Church, 1205 Rogers Way, Kamloops.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Memory of Paul Chicoine through the South Central Trucking and Industry's charity tournament (SCT&I) at the Royal Inland Hospital Foundation, 311 Columbia Street, Kamloops BC V2C 2T1. By phone 250-314-2325, or you can donate online at http://www.rihfoundation.ca/donate-now. Cheques should be made to RIH Foundation with a note that your gift is in Memory of Paul Chicoine.