Jean Marcel Fricot

1929 - 2017

1929 – 2017

Jean Marcel Fricot was born in Fougeres, France on May 17, 1929. After an adventurous youth, including time in his early teens as a messenger in the French Resistance during World War II, he emigrated to Canada with little more than the clothes on his back. After travelling across the country doing odd jobs he settled temporarily in Montreal where he studied chemistry and met, at a maple sugaring party, his first love, Resi Rettler, who was then working as a translator at the German Consulate. They married in 1958 and moved to La Tuque, Quebec where he started his career in the pulp and paper industry and where their son, Yves, was born. In 1965, the family moved to Fort William. Jean had accepted a job at Great Lakes Paper and worked there until his retirement at which time he was the kraft mill superintendent. Following his retirement, Jean remained active in the industry as a consultant to mills across Canada and in Europe. After Resi's death in 1978, Jean met and then married Lynda Pettit and began a new chapter in his life. Jean met Yves' future wife Mandy at his wedding to Lynda and, until they were engaged, always found a way to ensure that Mandy was not far from Yves' mind. Jean was a proud grandfather to his three grandchildren - Jean-Pierre, Mathias and Joelle. He did his best to share with them his good (and sometimes unique) humour and his love of life. Throughout his life Jean maintained strong ties to his family in France and Germany. It was a rare summer that someone from Europe did not visit - and any visit usually involved a road trip to "show off" some part of Canada. Jean was blessed throughout his life with good friends and it was a rare weekend that did not involve a get together of one kind or another. After Lynda's retirement, winters were first spent exploring Central America (the mountains of Guatemala and the beaches of Mexico were their favorite stops). He tried his hand (unsuccessfully) at gardening but his tenacity was completely in character. Lynda's illness prevented them from embarking on a planned voyage to discover "the best beaches of the world". As he was with Resi, Jean was a devoted and selfless caregiver for many years. Lynda predeceased him in 2014. Throughout his life Jean was a unique individual. He never shied away from a challenge and he was never afraid to say exactly what he thought (in what was usually a great linguistic mixture of English, French, Spanish and the occasional word of German thrown in for good measure). Whatever he did, he did with passion. Whenever he smiled, which was often, he did so in a way that made you want to smile as well. Jean passed away on July 21, 2017. He was 88. He would want to thank his many devoted caregivers and the staff at Hogarth Riverview Manor for helping to make his last years comfortable. A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, July 26, 2017 at 10 a.m. at St. Agnes Church.