December 1, 1943 – January 15, 2022
With great sadness, we regret announce the passing of Edsel Charles-Henri Joseph Fleury on January 15, 2022, at the age of 78, after a series of debilitating strokes. He leaves behind his devoted wife of 54 years, Joyce, and the children he loved dearly, Nanette (Todd) Peters and Edsel (Natalie Ford) Fleury II. His pride and joy were his 4 grandchildren, John and Michael Peters and Lily and Panos Fleury. He is also survived by his siblings; Lily (Larry) Ebare, Alphee Fleury, Donald (Cathy) Fleury, Germaine (Guy) Duplin, Jerry (Margot) Fleury, and Lise (Rudy) Vorlicek and his brother- and sisters-in-law, John (late Carmel) Page, Diane (late Richard) Roy, Maxine (Wade) Smale, Richard Page, and Michelle (Mark) Jamieson, in addition to numerous nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his parents, Desire and Alma Fleury, his in-laws, Rudy and Annie Page, as well as his brothers Denis (late Linda) and Dave (Bernadette), and infant sister Lise. All of his friends, especially those in British Columbia, where he and his wife had been living for the past 14 years, will miss him and his sense of humour, and his dogs, Fargo and Desoto, and his cats, Boo and Monkey, will sorely miss his lap.
To say that Edsel marched to the beat of his own drum is an understatement. He was born in northwestern Quebec, and moved to Ontario as a child, but by the end of his days, he had lived and/or worked in 6 out of the 10 Canadian provinces and in all 3 territories. No one could ever predict where he would decide to move his family and work next. He was known for his sense of adventure, his wit, and his storytelling. And some of the stories were even true including the one where he was lost in the Arctic for 10 days and the one where he and his brother Alphee hitchhiked from one of end of Canada to the other, although the jury is still out about the one where he and his friends hung out with Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons after they saw them in concert. He wouldn’t tell a joke unless he found it so funny that it made him laugh while telling it so there was plenty of laughter in his life because he knew a great many jokes. He loved music, fishing, and was a loyal fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs, which was not easy in a family known for its love of the Montreal Canadiens. The poor guy, he always believed that “This year is the year for my Leafs!”.
Edsel also had a great love for his family, especially his wife, and often bragged that he had a “millionaire’s family” with his daughter and son. He strongly believed in higher education and was very proud that both of his children graduated from university. He loved his 4 grandchildren even more than his children because, as he once told his daughter, they were “more fun than you two kids”. He enjoyed nothing more than to be with them and to cheer them on at their various sporting events over the years. He was also famous for his ability to nap, and his pets will miss not having anyone to curl up with at any time of the day.
Edsel wasn’t able to go to school to become the engineer that he had always dreamed of becoming but he was a very skilled mechanic, with licenses and certifications that allowed him to work all over the country. He also worked in logging at various times in his life and owned his own truck and trailer in the early 90’s, hauling steel coils for Algoma Steel. There weren’t any engines that he couldn’t fix and, over his 40-year career as a Heavy Duty Mechanic, he easily adapted to the increasingly computerized changes to the machinery that he worked on. In the years before he retired, he enjoyed teaching and passing on his skills in a Heavy Duty Mechanic apprenticeship program in the Arctic. After retirement, he spent his days puttering in his yard and garage and before his first major stroke, he had been working towards restoring a 1958 Edsel, which had been a lifelong dream of his. Overall, Edsel Fleury lived a full life, always on his own terms, and as we speak, is probably enjoying himself immensely in the hereafter, fishing with his two older brothers.
Edsel spent his last days in an extended care facility and even though he had lost his ability to speak after a massive stroke last spring, he could still laugh and always remained cheerful with his family and the facility staff. His family would like to thank the entire staff of the Fintry North wing at Polson Extended Care for the exceptional care that they provided to Edsel over the past 10 months. Their kindness will never be forgotten. According to his express wishes, he was cremated and there will be no funeral or memorial service.