Denise Marie Paule Lajoie, 66, of Cambridge Ontario passed away, March 29th 2020, peacefully in her hospice bed with her husband Laurent by her side.
She was born to parents Fernand Boily and Armande Potvin, April 26th, 1953 in Chicoutimi, Quebec. It was the summer of 71’, in Colchester, Ontario, Laurent first laid eyes on her. Her first impression was not a positive one as Laurent was showing off his frisbee skills on the beach and this resulted in sand spraying all over her. It did not take long however for her to realize that they were destined for each other. There were married July 29th, 1972.
They moved to Amhertsburg, Ontario and raised their three children: Eric, Kevin and Lisa. Here they were surrounded by the most amazing group of neighbours, anyone could have asked for. The States Street Crew. Memories of group garage sales, team snowball fights and many unforgettable pool parties. Denise worked over 12 years as a teacher/teacher’s assistant at Ecole St-Jean-Baptiste. Denise made life long friends here as well, with nights at the local blues club or afternoon’s on the golf course. All of these memories will be forever etched into our hearts.
Once their children all went off to school, Denise and Laurent had the chance to move to Paris, France for a couple of years for Laurent’s job. Though it pained them to leave their amazing neighbours, friends and children they took this opportunity to see as much of Europe as they could. They spent their free time traveling the country side, tasting as many varieties of wines they could get their hands on and eating as much baguette as humanly possible. Once they conquered Europe they moved back to North America and spent the next 10 years in Royal Oak, Michigan. There they renovated yet another house, (4 in total for this renovating pair) and planted an amazing garden. Anyone who knew Denise knew of her love of gardening. She could never get enough. Every flower, seed, plant was special to her. She poured so much love into her garden that you could feel it when you visit. Perfectly paired with her love of nature was her love of birds. But none as special of her loving cardinals. In her last weeks at hospice Denise was able to view so many birds outside. So many cardinals came to her multiple times a day. They say a cardinal is a representative of a loved one who has passed. That when you see one, it means they are visiting you. They usually show up when you most need them or miss them. They also make an appearance during times of celebration as well as despair to let you know they will always be with you. No doubt Denise is one of those cardinals now.
After Royal Oak, Denise and Laurent moved briefly to Windsor, Ontario. There they renovated their 3rd house before selling and making their final move to Cambridge, Ontario. Here they spent their days working at their UPS Store, making their best ever garden and yes, you guessed it another renovation. A few years ago they officially retired and made plans to increase their traveling experiences. Throughout the years Denise and Laurent were very lucky to be able to visit many parts of the globe. Trips to Europe, a cruise in Alaska and the Caribbean and trips across the globe to Malaysia, Japan, Thailand and Australia as well as more local destinations including Hawaii, St. Kitts, Palm Springs, South Carolina and Lake Tahoe. Some of these adventures were just the two of them and some were shared with family and friends.
Anyone who knew Denise had the opportunity to experience her joie de vivre, to feel her strength and most of all to witness her adoration and devotion to her family.
Denise is survived by her Husband Laurent Lajoie and her three children; Eric (Janet) Lajoie of Burlington; Kevin (Krista) Lajoie of Brantford and Lisa (Chris) Barry of Hillsboro Oregon. She is survived by her six grandchildren; Knox and Reese Lajoie, Eloise Lajoie and Sebastien, Miles and Finley Barry. She is also survived by her five sisters; Brigitte Boily, Marjolaine Boily, Danielle Boily Girard, Johanne Boily and Micheline Boily. She is also survived by her four brothers; Claude Boily, Rock Boily, Guy Boily, Jocelyn Boily and predeceased by her brother Jean-Yves Boily, her father Fernand Boily as well as her mother Armande Potvin.
Denise showed great strength in her fight with her cancer and always by her side was Laurent. His love shined thru in everything he did for her and it is without a doubt that she felt every ounce of his love until the very end. Still always by her side, Denise’s last month was spent in the loving care of hospice. Her time was divided between Lisaard House and Innisfree House.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the hospice as they are only partially funded by the government. You can do this online at lisaardandinnisfree.com.
It was Denise’s wishes to not be exposed and to be cremated. A celebration of life will be held at a later date due to the current global pandemic. Date, time and location of this celebration will be shared once they have been determined.
Please visit Denise's obituary notice on Faceboook.