Madeleine L Michaud

It is with great sadness that the family of Madeleine Lucette Gagné Michaud marks her passing on December 20th at the CVPH Medical Center in Plattsburgh following a brief illness. She was 98 years young. Madeleine has led a long and interesting life. In her youth she worked for the Quebec National Assembly and was fortunate to have witnessed the signing of the Quebec Agreement between FDR and Winston Churchill in Quebec City on August 19, 1943 in the presence of WL MacKenzie King, the prime minister of Canada. The secret agreement stipulated that the US and UK would pool their resources to develop nuclear weapons, and that neither country would use them against the other, or against other countries without mutual consent, or pass information about them to other countries. It also gave the United States a veto over post-war British commercial or industrial uses of nuclear energy. This was a very significant event in her life. Madeleine met her soon-to-be husband Louis “Babe” serendipitously, not far from her home near Quebec City. Rumor has it that mom caught dad’s eye while they were both traveling on a train and not wanting to miss the opportunity of introducing himself to this stunning beauty, he told her what a beautiful hat she was wearing - and so their love story began. During their courtship dad would drive up from Massachusetts through rural Quebec in a 1940’s maroon Oldsmobile ragtop convertible at a time when the only people driving a car like that were the hierarchy of the church or politicians. People would wave to him as he motored through the farming villages at that time. Mom and dad were married on July 26, 1947. The young couple then moved close to Louis’ birthplace in Massachusetts. This is where their children, Alan, Mark, Denise and Michelle were born and spent their childhoods. Mom, ever proud to be an American, never forgot her French Canadian roots and made sure to immerse her children in her culture as well. They have fond memories of their mom’s cooking. Sunday dinners following church service, her homemade tourtiere, cretons and soupe aux pois are all French Canadian favorites. She grew beautiful roses, took the kids on numerous trips to the beach in her old “woody” station wagon and took a lifelong pleasure in knitting. Sadly the onset of macular degeneration in her later years robbed her of this joyful pastime. In 1964 the family moved to the Province of Quebec where the children attended local schools. Mom continued her work in Montreal at the Jewish General Hospital and the Royal Victoria Hospital. Once their children left the nest, Madeleine and Louis moved back to the US, settling in Chazy Lake and Plattsburgh in the early 1970’s. Mom’s partner in life Louis died in July of 1982. In her final years as a widow, Madeleine was a cheerful resident of Victory Place in Plattsburgh. Left to cherish Madeleine’s memory are her adult children and their spouses: Bruni, Marci, Saad and Bruce. She doted on her grandchildren Chantale, Kristofer, Nikolas (deceased), Ester, Marc (deceased), Safia and Saleh and her cherished great grandchildren Chloe, Noelle, Finnegan, Farrah, Jana, Nathaniel and Marton. Madeleine was the oldest of nine children. Brothers baby Claude, Jacques, Robert, Andre, Michel and sister Lyse all predeceased her. Two siblings, both in their 90s, sister Paule and brother Claude currently reside in Quebec. Mom led an exemplary life, never complained and always put others before herself. She was a shining example to all who knew her and she will be sorely missed. The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the very kind medical staff who provided excellent professional and comfort care during Madeleine’s last days at CVPH, Father Reamer who performed the Last Rites and was at her bedside the morning of her passing, the staff at Victory Place both past and present who went above and beyond and her caregiver and friend Elaine who ultimately became part of our extended family, we are eternally grateful. If you choose to make a memorial contribution in Madeleine’s name we would suggest Our Lady of Victory Church who were kind enough via Sister Bernadette to bring her Holy Communion every Sunday or to the Nikolas Michaud Memorial Nursing Scholarship at Clinton Community College. In accordance with Madeleine’s wishes, a private memorial service will take place in the spring of 2022.
Arrangements are entrusted to the Brown Funeral Home, 29 Broad St. in Plattsburgh. (518) 561-3980. Online condolences may be offered at www.brownfuneralhomeinc.com.