Edward Debusschere

Edward Debusschere

Near Minnedosa, Manitoba on Thursday April 29, 2004, Mr. Ed Debusschere of Winnipeg, Manitoba passed away at the age of 72 years.

He leaves to mourn his beloved wife Rolande (nee LeRoux); 3 children:  Evelyne Putulik of Winnipeg, Charles Debusschere (Heather) of Calgary, and Marie-Lynne Debusschere (Ryan) of Winnipeg; 5 grandchildren:  Nicole, Teresa, Braden, Tyler and Carter.  He also leaves to mourn his passing two brothers:  Auguste (Therese) and Bob (Pauline); 3 sisters:  Angele Mazurat, Alice Dondo (Roland) and Marie Rose Major; and numerous nieces and nephews, relatives and friends.  He was predeceased by his father Charles in 1963, his mother Marie-Louise (nee Durupt) in 1997, one brother Leon, and by 2 brothers-in-law: Albert Mazurat and Albert Major.

Edward (Ed, Dad, Grandpa) was born in Forget, Saskatchewan on April 29, 1932. Ed spent his youth attending school and helping out on the family farm. While still a teenager, he left home to complete his primary education and earned his high school diploma. One of his first jobs was teaching school in the small town of St. Rose Du Lac. In 1956, he earned his degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Manitoba.

On October 4, 1959 Ed met his future wife Rolande at a wedding reception for a mutual cousin. She fondly remembers a song he sang that day, which would spark a relationship that would last forever. On July 8, 1961 he took her hand in marriage. Eventually, they settled into their present house of 36 years which he designed and built. They raised their 3 children there, and would later help to raise 2 grandchildren there as well. Dad enjoyed having coffee with Mom at Salisbury House, watching TV and traveling to Las Vegas.  His love and devotion to mom never faltered over the 43 years they were married.

Ed worked for many different engineering firms in Winnipeg while at the same time operating a farm near Haywood Manitoba. In 1982, he went into business together with Mr. Walter Wolfe to form Manengco Engineering; a multi discipline firm providing consulting services to many clients and businesses across central and southern Manitoba. He was well known and respected in the business community.  In his later years Ed continued to work from home while caring for Rolande who suffered a stroke in 1998.  His patient and caring nature provided much needed comfort, love and support in the years following.

Our fondest memory of Dad was his passion for music. Many Christmases and Easter gatherings were spent listening to him sing and play guitar with his daughters, cousins, and nephews. Bluegrass music was of special interest to him over the last few years, and he could be found "jamming" in the basement of his home in Charleswood with his "bluegrass buddies" or attending festivals in various locations.  He could also be found with one of his grandchildren on his knee showing them how to play guitar, banjo and fiddle. He loved his family dearly and always made time to help and guide them.

He loved cars and was always tinkering away on whatever was sitting in the driveway. Many family vacations were delayed because he would decide to overhaul the brakes, tire or whatever needed last minute improvements and repairs.

He was a remarkable man who will be truly missed by all those who knew and loved him