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Lillian Gignac
April 26, 1923 - November 5, 2014
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<div itemprop="description">Today we must say goodbye to the amazing woman we know as &lsquo;Lil&rsquo;, &lsquo;Mom&rsquo;, and &lsquo;Nonnie&rsquo;. <br />Lil was born Annette Lydia Kurtz in 1923, the eldest child of John and Anna Kurtz, in a little German settlement of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire named Diamantheim, then part of Poland and today part of the western Ukraine. She immigrated with her parents to Canada at the tender age of five years, while leaving behind a younger sister, Hedy. The family settled in Hanover, Ontario where, in time, Hedy reunited with the family and where the girls&rsquo; siblings Betty, Larry, and Ron were born. <br />Lil met Jerome (Jerry) Gignac while he was serving as an aeronautic mechanic in Goderich, Ontario. They married in June, 1944. <br />In 1948, Jerry--the youngest of 16 children in a lively French Canadian family--and Lil--a reserved, young woman from a German community-- suddenly found themselves in a situation that was to shape the rest of their lives. Jerry&rsquo;s father, Louis, had passed away. So Jerry and Lil decided to leave the home they had started to make for themselves in Oshawa, Ontario, and move to Penetang to take over Louis&rsquo; general store, as well as to care for Jerry&rsquo;s mother, Ephigenie. <br />Lil embraced her new duties as daughter-in-law, sister-in law, young mother, and wife to a local businessman and community leader with grace and style. Through all if this, she deeply treasured her well-deserved time-out to play bridge with a group of women who welcomed her with camaraderie and support. These &lsquo;bridge ladies&rsquo; held a special lifelong place in her heart. <br />Lil&rsquo;s true inner strength was never more apparent than when Jerry passed away suddenly in 1965, leaving her alone to raise eight children, ages two to 19 years. Somehow she found the strength to not only keep the family business going but, more importantly, to hold her family together. Anne, John, Helen, Mary Lou, Peter, Catherine, Michael, and Lorraine will forever be grateful to Lil for the selfless way in which she guided them through the loss of their father and for the way she continued to instil the values that she and Jerry had committed to teach their children: honesty, self-respect, respect for each other, the importance of higher education, and a sense of community. <br />Lil operated the family business, Gignac&rsquo;s Children&rsquo;s Wear, untll 1983. During her retirement, she travelled with family and friends. She learned to swim, lawn bowl, and cross-country ski. She attended the Midland YMCA aquafit program faithfully and, much to everyone&rsquo;s surprise, she signed up for the Beausoleil Island senior&rsquo;s summer camp for several years in a row. <br />Lil&rsquo;s devotion to the well-being of others was celebrated in 2013 when she was recognized for 60 years of service as a volunteer at the Penetang branch of the Georgian Bay General Hospital. <br />Lil enjoyed exceptionally good health all of her life. She, like everyone who knew her, thought that she was invincible. But, in 2012, she faced her first battle with cancer. Within a year, she thought she had it beaten. However, cancer got the best of her and Lil passed away with family at her side on November 5th. <br />Thank you for being with us today as we say goodbye to Lil, Mom, Nonnie&mdash;an extraordinary woman. <br />Anne, John, Helen, Mary Lou, Peter, Catherine, Michael, and Lorraine <br />If desired, donations to Huronia Communities Foundation-J.J. Gignac Fund, RVH Foundation Simcoe-Muskoka Regional Cancer Centre or the Georgian Village Building Fund would be appreciated.</div>