The Celebration of Paul Forgeron's Life

The Celebration of Joseph Paul Stanley Forgeron's Life
Kathern G. Lawrence


On Friday, December 30, 2011, Paul Forgeron (birth name: Joseph Paul Stanley Forgeron) passed away unexpectedly at his home in Little Anse on the southeast island in Richmond County of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, surviving a loving family: wife of 44 years, Mary Barbara Samson; two daughters: Connie (Forgeron) Samson and Wendy (Forgeron) Turple; two sons: Dean and Ricky Forgeron; and eight adorable grandchildren: Mandy Forgeron, Tony Forgeron, Sophie Samson, Ben Samson, Ava Turple, Leah Turple, Seth Forgeron, and Jaxon Paul Forgeron. About 20 Deaf people travelled to the hometown as far as 4 hours drive each way to pay respects to Paul at C.H. Boudreau Funeral Home in Arichat on the island. The Deaf Community knew him well since we attended the Halifax School for the Deaf. The school was a residential school in which many Deaf children from all over the Atlantic provinces stayed for 10 months for education for 8 - 10 years. After our graduation at closing exercises, we kept in touch with Barbara, his wife, and him at social Deaf functions.

Front row: Sons Ricky & Dean
Back row: Barbara, Paul, daughters

Mandy

Front row: grandchildren Seth, Ava, Sophie, Ben
Back row: Barbara holding Leah, Paul

Tony

Grandbaby Jaxon Paul

In celebration of Paul Forgeron's life, I want to share a special story about him with you, the readers; something I remember, and the other friends of his would share experiences with him in different ways. Upon my vacation from Edmonton, Alberta, to visit my family in New Brunswick in 1999, I grabbed a perfect opportunity to visit my Deaf friends in Nova Scotia. In the meantime, Barbara thoughtfully invited me over to visit with Paul and her at their bi-levelled home. During the visit, I appreciated recognizing the talents that Paul showed through the furniture pieces he had made and also the house he had built with the help of his relatives. I also enjoyed viewing the exhibition of two sets of model train layouts he had set in the basement. I remember Barbara narrating memories of our old days at the schools in Halifax and Amherst, Nova Scotia while showing me some treasured photos. After Paul's passing, I looked up my album "Friends and Events in the Maritimes" in which I kept most photos. The hospitality was one of the most reminiscing experiences I had ever enjoyed.


A Lifetime Partner

Paul and Barbara knew each other from the Halifax school, but they had never chatted with each other, and they hung out in different circles of friends. Paul left the school in June, 1959 to enter a working world in West Arichat, a small Acadian community, on the southwest island of Richmond County where he had been born. Like other handsome, young fellows who were wowed by very pretty or beautiful ladies, Paul had eyes on Barbara during social gatherings among the Deaf friends and inquired about her through his late schoolmate, Luke Boudreau. Knowing where she lived, he had the courage to knock the door of the Samson house in Little Anse and ask her parents for permission to take her out. Barbara had matured as an attractive, lean lady with brown, wavy short hair. She nodded smilingly and her mother granted him the permission. He took her to a baseball game. The next time they dated at Pondville Beach, blossoming into romance. They had courted for 6 years before they tied the knot at St. Joseph Church in Petit de Grat on July 22nd, 1967.

Lifetime marriage vow

Photo taken in 2005

New Home

In 1973, Paul built the house with the help of Barbara's brother, Omer Samson; her father, Joseph Samson, and her uncle, Vander Samson. They helped set up the wooden studs on the foundation and trusses upon the stud frames, brush tar for roof shingles, and install the windows and doors. The wiring and plumbing jobs were done by the hired professionals. The rest of the work, Paul did to complete the house which Barbara and he dreamed about and designed. It was built to be a cozy and cheerful house for their children to grow up in. It has been remaining occupied.











Passion for Woodworking

Originally, when woodworking was offered to boys at the Halifax School for the Deaf, Paul got a knack for it; he made a lamp and end table. Years later, he was so keen to pursue the woodworking hobby that he learned further from his boss, Joe Murry, at Richmond School where he worked for the maintenance department. Joe invited him to his home basement to teach him advanced skills. Afterwards, he professionally made beautiful furniture pieces for the Forgeron house.

Furniture Pieces Paul made

 



Paul also made many wooden toys. As I am a collector of Deaf crafts, I bought from him, a lamp with a San Francisco trolley train made of varied-grain wood. It has been moved from one room to another room at my home, and now it is standing in the living room. It is a sentimental treasure that I admire so much that I believe God gave Paul a gift of craftsmanship.

 San Francisco trolley train lamp

Model Train Hobby

When Paul was young and small, his parents gave him a metal train set, probably for his Christmas present. He put it away in the attic of his parent's home in West Arichat. He had not played with it for some time since he stayed at the residential school most of the year. When he came home, he thought about the set and searched it, but it had been missing. He inquired about it with his mother, and she told him that it had been given to his cousin, Bobby. Disappointed, he responded that he wanted to keep it, but he let go.


However, throughout the phase of adulthood, Paul mused about owning metal model train sets; yet, he had to wait until his second son, Ricky, to move out of his home and to live on his own. Finally, the basement was left unoccupied that he set up two sets of train layouts with many sets of trains, one layout in the middle of the room and the other one up on the circular tracks by the four walls. Endlessly his friends and family members had a great pleasure to watch the trains chugging and hooting along the tracks when operated electronically.

Friends watching the metal model trains chugging:
Anne Martell, Leon Martell, Amrose Martell, Purdy Killam

Work

Paul was fortunate to be able to work full time at several employers all his life before his retirement. He exerted manual skills that he could contribute to all the employers. He was definitely a jack of all trades. His first job in 1959 was at Raymond Gerrior's Woodworking Shop in West Arichat where he made wooden windows. He worked there until 1964 (5 years).


The next employer in Halifax was Russo Windows and Doors. He repaired old steel windows or doors, and also measured, welded, and paint-sprayed them. He worked there in 1964-1971 (7 years).


For Richmond Board in West Arichat, Paul worked at 17 different schools in 1971-1999 (27 years), and for Strait Board, at 7 big schools in Mulgrave in 1999-2004 (4 years). As a maintenance, he repaired broken things; made furniture pieces like shelves and cabinets; installed new windows, doors, and boiler furnace; painted walls; and connected electrical wires.


Retirement


Finally at the age of 62, he retired on November 27, 2004 that he enjoyed more time with his wife at home. During his retirement, he was still known to pass his time making more wooden toys and even trains operated with motors for his children. He followed instructions of models to make those. As compared to the products he made simply 20 years ago, he passionately challenged a higher level of difficulty in making the trains, remote-control boats, and a remote-control plane. He did not use nails to put pieces together to make something; the nails would split some wood pieces, and it would be difficult not to split the pieces. He had a brilliant plan to glue a piece by a piece together and clamped a small portion of the pieces together at a time for a couple of hours before adding another portion until it was a complete set. During the period of chemo therapy, he would not slow down himself to continue with his project. Tackling the challenges successfully was his happiness. Upon his passing,  he left his last project unfinished: a remote control plane. His family expressed much pride of his amazing work and so did he of their personal accomplishments in their lives.

Different kinds of vehicles

Wooden model trains Paul passionately made

Two kinds of model trains: modern & antique

Tug boat

Fisherman boat

Unfinished project: plane

All of his hand-made toys and trains remain as admirable memorabilia; they would be nice to be seen in a museum such as an existing centre called Deaf Culture Centre in Toronto which currently displays the arts and artifacts of Deaf people.


Acknowledgement


For this journal on my blog: Deaf Journaling, Barbara cared to fill me with details about Paul and also the couple when asked. Furthermore, she sent me more photos of the family and crafts Paul had recently made since my visit. To her, I am extending my warmest gratitude to her, and; therefore, this credit goes to her for this mini-biography.



Proverbs 10: 4 - Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.