Obituary for Mignonne Marie "Mickie" Cameron (Chouinard)
Mignonne (Mickie) Cameron
She was born in Opasatika Ontario on May 29th, 1940. The apple of her father’s eye, he named her ’Mignonne’. An endearing name that spoke to his affection for his beloved little girl. It was an uncommon name even within French families and through her lifetime, she would always be asked how to spell or pronounce it. Her response was always ‘Like a filet but the feminine version’, then go on to explain that it meant ‘cute, a little doll’. For those of us privileged to be within her inner circle, her name stood for much more. She was petite, tender, pretty and someone to admire. There was a richness about her, a rare find.
Petite in stature but not in any other way, she was a pillar of all the qualities that speak to one’s strength; she was fiercely protective of her family, resilient, tenacious, determined, deliberate, strong, wise, brave, courageous and yes, stubborn. She sacrificed much and faced and overcame many challenges in her life, often with a smile, throwing in humour to lighten the moment.
Mignonne acquired many nicknames through the years, ‘Mickie’ being the most longstanding. In 1987, Mickie reconnected with an old high school sweetheart and after a short romance, Glen whisked her away to the big city of Toronto. This move was unnerving for her family as she was only familiar with single lane roadways and she had barely ventured out of her small hometown of Kirkland Lake.
An early retirement gave Mickie even more time to devote to her family. A talented seamstress, she embarked on a personal mission to ensure her grandchildren had the most beautiful, unique, and one-of-a-kind outfits. Our children would stand-out in a crowd, as often their toy dolls would also be wearing the same matching hat and outfit as they were.
She was also a talented artist and could sketch anyone with simply a pencil and paper. Mignonne spent many hours sketching her family’s children to ensure she left behind a gift with special meaning, a memory of her to hang on their walls.
As her grandchildren grew, so did her interest in other hobbies. Mignonne purchased herself an Apple computer and became quite internet savvy. The mere mention of a song, movie, or TV show that one liked would send her on a mission to search, download and burn a personal CD for our enjoyment. Often, we would receive our CD’s of favorite shows with the commercials removed, an extra gesture of her care and affection for us all.
She loved technology and was proud of her ability to adapt to the fast pace of its advancements. She spent many hours converting old videos to the latest format so that our family moments would not be lost to obsolescence. ‘Gadget Granny’ became her new nickname for she would always come to visit with the newest and greatest item. If it brought her enjoyment, then her family also needed to have one.
She had a tremendous wit and was so fun loving, she left us with a repertoire of memories. Although she made friends easily and had several lifelong friendships, she was deliberate on whom she would let into her circle. She had a keen perception and was a good judge of character. Only those with the purest of hearts and best intentions were truly welcomed around her family.
The word stamina doesn’t begin to describe her. You don’t tell her what to do, not even when to die. Provided a very short window of time in Feb 2018, Mignonne would enjoy 3 more ‘May’ birthdays. After welcoming the first day of summer, she passed peacefully.
Predeceased by her parents, Charles and Marie, first husband, Stuart, second husband Glen, siblings, Paul, Cecile, sister-in-law, Mary, niece Sharon and nephew Michel.
She is survived by her children; Steve (Cheryl), Tracy (Dean) and stepson Marc (Sheila), her grandchildren; Jordan, Derek, Jenna, Steven, Patricia, Lauren and Julia, great-granddaughter Mary. Also surviving her are her siblings Germaine, Rolland, Lou, and Diane, sisters/ brothers-in-law, Colin, Doreen and Warren, Maureen, and Bernie as well as several nephews and nieces.
Mignonne’ s family would like to extend their sincere appreciation to all the staff at the Margaret Bahen hospice for her exceptional care. Our gratitude goes to Dr. Craig Kung for his care throughout her journey and to Dr. Yuen for providing her comfort in her last moments.
And finally, we would like to extend our gratitude and respect to our beautiful mom for all her hard work, her guidance and for her fierce love of her family. We always knew if mom was there, we were protected.
Our mama bear is already missed dearly! Spread your wings wide mom, they have been hard earned and please save us a spot next to you for when our turn comes.
In lieu of flowers, we kindly ask donations to be made in Mignonne’ s honour to the Margaret Bahen Hospice, 653 Queen St, Newmarket, ON L3Y 2J1
If you wish to make a donation, please click the link below
Margaret Bahen Hospice
She was born in Opasatika Ontario on May 29th, 1940. The apple of her father’s eye, he named her ’Mignonne’. An endearing name that spoke to his affection for his beloved little girl. It was an uncommon name even within French families and through her lifetime, she would always be asked how to spell or pronounce it. Her response was always ‘Like a filet but the feminine version’, then go on to explain that it meant ‘cute, a little doll’. For those of us privileged to be within her inner circle, her name stood for much more. She was petite, tender, pretty and someone to admire. There was a richness about her, a rare find.
Petite in stature but not in any other way, she was a pillar of all the qualities that speak to one’s strength; she was fiercely protective of her family, resilient, tenacious, determined, deliberate, strong, wise, brave, courageous and yes, stubborn. She sacrificed much and faced and overcame many challenges in her life, often with a smile, throwing in humour to lighten the moment.
Mignonne acquired many nicknames through the years, ‘Mickie’ being the most longstanding. In 1987, Mickie reconnected with an old high school sweetheart and after a short romance, Glen whisked her away to the big city of Toronto. This move was unnerving for her family as she was only familiar with single lane roadways and she had barely ventured out of her small hometown of Kirkland Lake.
An early retirement gave Mickie even more time to devote to her family. A talented seamstress, she embarked on a personal mission to ensure her grandchildren had the most beautiful, unique, and one-of-a-kind outfits. Our children would stand-out in a crowd, as often their toy dolls would also be wearing the same matching hat and outfit as they were.
She was also a talented artist and could sketch anyone with simply a pencil and paper. Mignonne spent many hours sketching her family’s children to ensure she left behind a gift with special meaning, a memory of her to hang on their walls.
As her grandchildren grew, so did her interest in other hobbies. Mignonne purchased herself an Apple computer and became quite internet savvy. The mere mention of a song, movie, or TV show that one liked would send her on a mission to search, download and burn a personal CD for our enjoyment. Often, we would receive our CD’s of favorite shows with the commercials removed, an extra gesture of her care and affection for us all.
She loved technology and was proud of her ability to adapt to the fast pace of its advancements. She spent many hours converting old videos to the latest format so that our family moments would not be lost to obsolescence. ‘Gadget Granny’ became her new nickname for she would always come to visit with the newest and greatest item. If it brought her enjoyment, then her family also needed to have one.
She had a tremendous wit and was so fun loving, she left us with a repertoire of memories. Although she made friends easily and had several lifelong friendships, she was deliberate on whom she would let into her circle. She had a keen perception and was a good judge of character. Only those with the purest of hearts and best intentions were truly welcomed around her family.
The word stamina doesn’t begin to describe her. You don’t tell her what to do, not even when to die. Provided a very short window of time in Feb 2018, Mignonne would enjoy 3 more ‘May’ birthdays. After welcoming the first day of summer, she passed peacefully.
Predeceased by her parents, Charles and Marie, first husband, Stuart, second husband Glen, siblings, Paul, Cecile, sister-in-law, Mary, niece Sharon and nephew Michel.
She is survived by her children; Steve (Cheryl), Tracy (Dean) and stepson Marc (Sheila), her grandchildren; Jordan, Derek, Jenna, Steven, Patricia, Lauren and Julia, great-granddaughter Mary. Also surviving her are her siblings Germaine, Rolland, Lou, and Diane, sisters/ brothers-in-law, Colin, Doreen and Warren, Maureen, and Bernie as well as several nephews and nieces.
Mignonne’ s family would like to extend their sincere appreciation to all the staff at the Margaret Bahen hospice for her exceptional care. Our gratitude goes to Dr. Craig Kung for his care throughout her journey and to Dr. Yuen for providing her comfort in her last moments.
And finally, we would like to extend our gratitude and respect to our beautiful mom for all her hard work, her guidance and for her fierce love of her family. We always knew if mom was there, we were protected.
Our mama bear is already missed dearly! Spread your wings wide mom, they have been hard earned and please save us a spot next to you for when our turn comes.
In lieu of flowers, we kindly ask donations to be made in Mignonne’ s honour to the Margaret Bahen Hospice, 653 Queen St, Newmarket, ON L3Y 2J1
If you wish to make a donation, please click the link below
Margaret Bahen Hospice