Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today it saddens me to stand in this House and speak about the passing of a well-known man from the community of Fort Simpson.
John Moreau was a hard worker, told it like it was, and was an honest businessman. I watched him work and his commitment to his work was excellent. Nothing was too small or too big for him to take on.
John was born and raised in Winnipeg, a '50s greaser that use to race T-birds down the Pembina Highway. John was always a very independent man who raised his children with his wife Louisa, who were married for 54 years.
John was an avid traveler who went from New York, Vegas, Nova Scotia, to Alaska and heard about the Yellowknife gold mines in Edmonton. In true John fashion, he hopped on a plane to Vancouver, got his explosive technician training, and headed to Yellowknife to work and this is where he met the love of his life Louisa Tsetso.
John and Louisa decided to go back to Fort Simpson for a two-week visit and, as the stories go, they never left. John had many business ventures in Fort Simpson since the '60s with line lopping, gas stations, arcade, and various construction businesses.
Mr. Speaker, I can tell you there wasn't a house, roof, door, and fence he hadn't touched or looked at in Fort Simpson. John was a self-taught carpenter.
Mr. Speaker, John was a good listener, advocate for fairness, amazing family supporter, avid golfer, and dart player. I had the pleasure of golfing with him and his wife a few times throughout the golf seasons. I can tell you, like everything else in his life, he was willing to share and tell stories that engaged you.
Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity to visit him about two weeks before he passed away. I can tell you he spoke a lot about his children and how proud he was of them. He loved the fact that they were all independent, hardworking, and had strong family values. He talked about his son taking over the business and him being able to work with both his sons. He spoke about his daughters being successful in their adventures in life, whether it was competing at a national dart tournament to operating a successful business or making life choices. He spoke about how proud he was of his grandchildren and the things that they were doing and accomplishing. As he said to me, his children and grandchildren were Louisa's and his legacies.
Mr. Speaker, when it came to his wife, he was very proud of her. He spoke about how she was willing to share her traditional knowledge with their children and others in the community. When it came to getting help to look after moosehide, from the very beginning to the end of the project Louisa was the person to contact.
Mr. Speaker, I can tell you that he will be sadly missed by his friends and family. He will always be in our thoughts and prayers. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
