Our Precious Decie

Written By Decie’s Eldest Daughter Cheryl

Anyone who knew Decie would tell you she was a very special person. An incredibly caring woman with a soft heart and a quick smile, Decie was always ready to help others. She was a Brownie leader, a school volunteer, a basketball and softball coach, a hockey grandma, an incredible babysitter, and without question, the world’s greatest mom! Older people in the community knew they could rely on Decie to drive them to doctor’s appointments, to take them to get their groceries, or fill in their tax returns. Decie’s kindness and generosity made her community a better place in which to live. She did so much for others, never expecting anything in return.

Decie loved sports, a passion she shared with her husband, Danny. She was an avid Montreal Canadiens fan. I remember her telling me how she cried the first time she saw Guy Lafleur on the ice at the Montreal Forum (she was in the “nosebleed section”, but it didn’t matter to Decie because she had made it to the home of her childhood sports heroes). Decie was very proud of her daughter Susan, who had so many sporting accomplishments from playing basketball in the Caper Games to being on the N.S. Junior Ladies Golf Team.

Decie was a simple person with simple tastes. Few people knew she actually had a genius IQ. I believe Decie could have done anything she wanted with her life and it is to her everlasting credit that she chose to be a homemaker and stay-at-home mom, two jobs so desperately underrated, but so essential to the fabric of our community. Decie always put her family first and was willing to sacrifice her own dreams to make sure those of her children could come true. Decie was particularly fond of her daughter Sandra, who did Decie the proud honour of providing her with two grandsons, Christopher and Matthew. They were certainly the apple of Decie’s eye and she unabashedly adored them.

When Decie started to feel unwell in mid-December 1998, she was sure it was just a flu she had contracted while she was on one of the many hockey road trips she made with her grandson. When her skin started to turn yellow, she went to the doctor. After a series of tests and other investigations, she was told by her doctor that they suspected pancreatic cancer. The decision was made to operate and in February, 1999, Decie underwent a lengthy surgery. A couple of days after the surgery, she seemed to be doing well and everyone was hopeful. Unfortunately, within days, her kidneys failed and she died on February 6, 1999.

Pancreatic cancer robbed us of our precious Decie and robbed Decie of her precious life. Danny lost his wife and friend of 32 years. Sandra lost her mom, best friend and next door neighbour. Decie never got to meet her son-in-law Brian and she wasn’t there to watch her baby daughter, Susan, walk down the aisle. When Decie’s third grandson, Mark, was born to Sandra and Mike in October, 2003, there was no Decie there to hold him and beam with pride. When Decie’s first granddaughter Julia arrived on a plane from China with her parents Cheryl and Trevor, Decie wasn’t there to smile at her and play the proud grandma role. When her grandson Chris graduated from high school, Decie wasn’t there to shed her customary tears of joy. When Matthew got his first base hit, Decie wasn’t there to cheer him on from the bleachers. There have been so many moments over the last 7 years, of which Decie should have been a part, but they were stolen away from her by cancer. When Decie died, she was a mere 54 years old. She still had so much to do and so much to give. Our only consolation is that we know she has returned home to her heavenly Father and that there, she waits for us. We’ll all be together again someday, but for now, we miss you so very much.

Anne Bernice “Decie” LeBlanc (September 7, 1944 - February 6, 1999)