Sunday’s Obituary: Thomas Vanasse

Thomas died on 5 December 1983 in Coquitlam, BC. He was interred nine days later on December 14th (thirty-one years ago today) in nearby Vancouver.

I never knew or met Thomas, and didn’t know that he lived in BC after we moved here in the late 1970s. He was a first cousin of my paternal grandmother Julie (Vanasse) Belair, and since Dad always loved meeting new-to-him relatives, I’m sure that he would have wanted to get to know Thomas.

A couple of years ago, my husband and I sought out Thomas' final resting place and photographed his tombstone; see Tombstone Tuesday: Thomas Vanasse.

Source: “Thomas James Vanasse”, obituary, The Province (Vancouver, British Columbia), 14 December 1983, p. 65.

Copyright © 2014, Yvonne Demoskoff.

Tombstone Tuesday: Thomas Vanasse



Thomas Vanasse gravemarker.



Thomas was a first cousin of my paternal grandmother Julie (Vanasse) Belair. He was born on 22 December 1905 in Chichester, near Chapeau, Quebec as the 13th child and youngest son of Michel and Célestine (Ranger) Vanasse. (Note that Thomas' year of birth is incorrectly shown on his gravemarker.)

Thomas died on 5 December 1983 at Riverview Hospital in Coquitlam, British Columbia. The Public Guardian and Trustee of B.C. took charge of the funeral and burial arrangements. (His patient file didn’t indicate any next of kin, and his death registration wasn’t registered by a family member.) Thomas was buried in Vancouver's Mountain View Cemetery, which has scenic views of the North Shore Mountains.

It’s too bad that my family never met Thomas and that my father Maurice never knew he had a cousin living nearby in the city. This past August, my husband Michael and I were in Vancouver and we took the opportunity to visit Mountain View Cemetery. We located Thomas' grave situated in a pathway that lies between the plots running north to south. I was glad to see that the granite marker was in good condition. We took a few photos, said a prayer, and then continued with the rest of our day. 

Copyright © 2012, Yvonne Demoskoff.