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Yves Provencher Obituary
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - Canadian native Yves Provencher, 53, of Grymes Hill, died Sunday in Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze, of a heart attack.
Born in Montreal, he immigrated to Manhattan 25 years ago. He lived in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, before moving to Grymes Hill in 1996.
Mr. Provencher was an executive vice president for Willis Re Inc., the third largest reinsurance broker globally. With an extensive background in financial analytics for the insurance and reinsurance industries, he managed Willis Re's Analytical areas, including Actuarial, Catastrophe Management Services, Enterprise Risk Management, Structured Solutions, Financial Services and Rating Agency Services. While with Willis Re, Mr. Provencher broadened the scope of analytic services, presented Willis Re's analytic capabilities to prospective clients, and managed other strategic initiatives.
He was a member of the American Academy of Actuaries and an Associate of the Casualty Actuarial Society and graduated from Concordia University in Canada with a degree in mathematics.
Mr. Provencher supported numerous causes. He was a regular donor to the New York Public Library, attending many private lectures and parties with other library patrons. He donated to the ASPCA and to Doctors Without Borders.
Mr. Provencher coached soccer at St. Joseph Hill Academy, where his daughter, Gabrielle, was one of the players. He also enjoyed watching the television show "The Big Bang Theory" and reading the works of Stephen Hawking, the theoretical physicist. He also enjoyed reading books about the origins of the universe, game theory and black holes and was an avid chess player.
Mr. Provencher was a parishioner of Our Lady of Good Counsel R.C. Church, Tompkinsville.
His wife of 14 years, Mary Farag, said her husband's friends, neighbors and co-workers remembered him as a "good man, a great man and a fine gentleman" known for his integrity and diligence. "You couldn't ask for a better human being, man and father," she said.
Surviving, in addition to his wife, Mary, and his daughter, Gabrielle, are his mother, Therese Dion, and his sister, Louise Provencher.
The funeral will be today, Saturday July 2, from the Martin Hughes Funeral Home, Concord, with a mass at 11 a.m. in Our Lady of Good Counsel Church. Arrangements include cremation.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Yves Provencher
Samia Metry
June 25, 2024
You are greatly missed our dear brother-in-law, and are always in our thoughts and prayers.
Cindy D Bonnell
May 6, 2021
I am so sorry to learn this news of Yves. He hired me as a young student for a co-op work term in the early 90's in Toronto. Unfortunately he left for NYC before my start date so I never got to work with him. After reading these posts about his humour - I think his taking me on was another show of this trait. He asked me in the interview why I wanted to work for the company (a property & casualty insurance firm) and I replied that 'Life' insurance was fascinating. After clarifying that this was a 'P&C' position I replied that I really like cars! Thank you Yves for taking a chance on me and opening up a world that I would likely never have gotten to experience.
Jean-Francois Ouellet
July 30, 2020
Lorsque j'ai commencé à travailler à Toronto (87-90), j'ai eu le plaisir de connaitre Yves. Très attachant, jovial, une personne difficile à oublier. Nos chemins se sont séparés, et j'ai pu découvrir à travers les touchants témoignages qu'Yves était en plus un mari et un père extraordinaire. Les photos publiées montrent la même personne que j'ai côtoyé pas assez longtemps! Cheers mon Yves!
Samia Metry
June 25, 2019
Our dear brother Yves, you are greatly missed & will always have a place in our hearts. Adel and Samia Metry.
Amir Metry
July 30, 2012
My uncle Yves was a kind and gentle family man that was loved by all. With suprising ease, the humourous and fun loving French Candaian became a very important part of our big Egyptian family transplanted in New York. He was a very intelligent man that enjoyed laughing and making those around him laugh. I often think back to dinners at my grandmothers house when Yves would have all the men laughing at one moment, only to have the younger children belly laughing at the next moment. He had a passion for sports, watching them with friends or coaching Gabrielle and her teamates in soccer. Yves was a very busy man and travled all over the world for business, but nothing could keep him away from being on the soccer field with his daughter on the weekends. I have always been of the opinion that you could tell a lot about a man based solely off of his hobbies and Yves life outside of work centered solely on his family. His girls (wife Mary & daughter Gabrielle) were his world and the reason he would rush home from half way across the globe. Now that he is gone it is easy to belive all we are left with are memories of Yves….but that is simply not true. His legacy lives on in his daughter Gabrielle. Every time I look at her I can see a piece of Yves still alive in her. Yves left us too soon, but I know Gabrielle will carry on her fathers legacy and honor his memory in everything she does as she grows into adulthood.
A Rare Moment of Leisure, Punta Cana April 2011
Mary Farag
June 20, 2012
Ocean City, New Jersey 2000
Mary Farag
June 20, 2012
Lorraine Russo
June 19, 2012
"Good memories are the perennials that
bloom again after the harsh winter of
grief yields to hope."
May your memories of such a kind and
beautiful man comfort you always.
Pete & Beth Thomas
March 15, 2012
Yves is my friend. My wife and I found Yves to be a warm and compassionate man with a quick wit and an intolerance for injustice.
Our world was a much better place for having known him. We miss him.
Easter @ 2004
Mary H. Farag
February 26, 2012
Samia Metry
January 31, 2012
Farewell to Thee! But not farewell
To all my fondest thoughts of Thee;
Within my heart they still shall dwell
And they shall cheer and comfort me.
Life seems more sweet that Thou didst live
And men more true Thou wert one;
Nothing is lost that Thou didst give,
Nothing destroyed that Thou hast done.
Anne Bronte (1820 - 1849)
Thérèse Provencher
January 29, 2012
Seigneur,
Tu nous enseignes que le chemin vers le Père est fait de douceur et d'humilité, et que tout ce que nous avons ne nous est que prêté, même nos enfants.
Merci pour le prêt de 53 ans que Tu nous as fait de Yves.
Yves, je vais toujours me souvenir de ta dernière visite, ce dimanche d'avril 2011, lorsque tu te sentais si calme et si relax avec moi, chez moi.
You will always be in my heart!
Merci pour toutes les preuves chaleureuses de sympathie que nous avons reçues.
Ta mère qui t'aimera toujours
Mary Hanna Farag
January 26, 2012
Yves was a man that could dazzle even the most jaded with his sheer brilliance and good humour. He set at ease the most hardheaded opponents in arguments, with a sly play on words.
Men, outnumber women, as authors of the most moving private letters we've received in his honor and memory--a testament of his appeal to all. How many men do you know sit down and actually devote time to writing about a colleague, a friend, a family member or a RIVAL who has passed away well before his expiry date (as they say in the business)? BFF—a term usually reserved for tweens…you have no idea how many men mentioned they felt Yves was their “best friend” in the office, in the field…
A sight one never forgets is the number of grown men overcome with tears, and inner rage, at the injustice of a man of Yves' caliber and goodness being taken away from us way too soon. It became evident very quickly that our private loss, our agony, was a burden shared by many of his colleagues and friends from the thirty plus years he was active in the business of insurance.
Quite a few remembrances mention Yves' keen sense of outrage at even the slightest hint of injustice. He was the rare person who actually took immediate and effective action to right a wrong, no matter the status or position of the victim (or perpetrator for that matter). At times, it made him unpopular with those who had no problem “striking while the iron is hot” from a position of undeserved strength and power.
He was at the forefront of a movement within the industry, an academy if you will, to promote the education, skills, and influence of fellow (fledgling) actuaries. One writer mentioned Yves' behind the scenes string-pulling to approve funding for a 5 star lodging in Kenya (the only SAFE housing obviously) to provide “Actuaries without Borders” in that part of the world. As usual, Yves requested anonymity for his efforts, and the recipient only discovered later on the identity of his “patron saint”.
Despite his ascent to the dizzying heights of success in the industry in his specialty, he remained true to his inner core. For instance, no matter how hard I begged my handsome boy, he refused a visit to Seville Row (on his many trips to London) for a private fitting of a custom-made suit…YUP, he still favored SYMS the store for “educated consumers!”
He lavished Gabrielle and I with the sweets of his success. Despite his grueling travel/ business schedule, he made time to coach Gabrielle's soccer team since kindergarten. He would personally sharpen my kitchen knives, without being asked and without bragging about it, every time they needed attention. It is in these little acts of kindness, that may seem insignificant, that the private agony of our loss is most evident.
At home in the garden, he would stand precariously perched in one of our property's sloping edges, planting a shrub and feigning losing his footing. He would then laugh his hearty laugh and taunt, “aha, a little frightened of losing your ‘meal ticket' ey?” All the while knowing he was our world, our protector, our savior, my husband and Gabrielle's amazing father.
Louise Provencher
January 23, 2012
Cher Yves,
C'est seulement maintenant, 6 mois après ton départ que je suis capable d'écrire ce message. Je n'aurais jamais pu choisir un meilleur frère. Intelligent, drôle, et généreux, tu as su enrichir la vie de ceux qui t'ont entouré. Tu nous as quitté bien trop tôt, mais tu survivras à jamais dans mon esprit et dans mon coeur.
Yves, you were my one and only brother, and you will always be my baby brother in my heart. I will never forget you.
Thank you for the wonderful memories.
Yves and Gabby on one of their many trips to Montreal/ skiing
Mary H. Farag
January 22, 2012
Saw "The Lion King" and then off to Toys R Us for Gabby's Birthday
Mary H. Farag
January 19, 2012
Christmas, 2010
Mary H. Farag
January 19, 2012
Honeymoon, Paris
Mary H. Farag
January 19, 2012
My Handsome Groom
Mary H. Farag
January 13, 2012
Four months into our courtship and meet the parents and family time in Montreal.
Mary Farag
January 12, 2012
My favorite photo of Yves and Gabrielle "Father/ Daughter Dance @ St. Joseph Hill Academy"
Mary Farag
January 11, 2012
Brandie Szuda
January 10, 2012
Yves was a role model for all. He went out of his way to make everyone feel important, regardless of their status. I worked in one of the departments Yves managed at Willis Re and I will never forget the times he went out of his way to visit our office.
Yves always had a smile on his face and talked often about his family. I always enjoyed hearing about his ski trips with Gabrielle.
Yves will be missed, but never forgotten.
Elaine Lee
October 17, 2011
Yves was one of the nicest person I've ever met and with an amazing sense of humor. We have lost an angel on earth. Please accept my condolences.
Ronnia Girgis
September 19, 2011
“Our death is not an end if we can live on in our children and the younger generation. For they are us, our bodies are only wilted leaves on the tree of life.”
~Albert Einstein
We miss you Uncle Yves, for you were always a man of great wisdom. I pray you have found peace, and you are in a place of light and warmth.
Forever in my heart,
Your Niece Ronnia “the actress”
Sarah Cotten
August 30, 2011
"To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure."
Yves adventures on, until he's well met, once again.
Love always.
Samantha Cotten
August 30, 2011
My Uncle Yves was one of the most successful people I've ever known. An esteemed professional and a pinnacle of the family, he was never to be found without a smile and intriguing conversation. He lived life to its fullest, with happiness and love. He is one of my biggest inspirations. My love is forever with his dearest, my Aunt Mary and Gabrielle.
Scott and Soheir Cotten
August 29, 2011
A Reminiscence
YES, thou art gone! and never more
Thy sunny smile shall gladden me;
But I may pass the old church door,
And pace the floor that covers thee.
May stand upon the cold, damp stone,
And think that, frozen, lies below
The lightest heart that I have known,
The kindest I shall ever know.
Yet, though I cannot see thee more,
'Tis still a comfort to have seen;
And though thy transient life is o'er,
'Tis sweet to think that thou hast been;
To think a soul so near divine,
Within a form so angel fair,
United to a heart like thine,
Has gladdened once our humble sphere.
By Anne Bronte
The Poetry Foundation
Ryan Cairns
August 17, 2011
On behalf of The New York Public Library, please accept my deepest sympathy for your loss. Mr. Provencher was a dedicated patron of the Library and I personally enjoyed meeting him at our events. He will truly be missed.
Sital Bellani
August 17, 2011
Dear Mary and Gabrielle
I will always remember Yves as a man of character with a great sense of humour.
Louis & Dianne Mendez
August 10, 2011
Dear Mary and Gabrielle,
We were so sad to learn of Yves untimely passing. We have fond memories of your visits here and the obvious love and companionship that you shared as a family. Please accept our sincere condolences for the loss of a warm and caring husband and father.
Eve Le Ber
August 8, 2011
Dear Mary and Gabrielle, I love you both and admire your strength and courage. Yves was an amazing,giving gentle,funny, kind, man.
August 4, 2011
Thanks to all of you who have added a personal statement. And thanks to Josh King for keeping the Guest Book online until July 31, 2012. This has been an incredibly difficult time for us, however, seeing these beautiful comments and gestures, makes it a little easier to bear. Regards, Mary Farag & Gabrielle
Sarah Yuster
July 12, 2011
What an extraordinarily graceful existence ..one that will ripple on through his mourning family that will continue his legacy through their love.
Sarah Yuster
Mark Paske
July 3, 2011
I worked in one of the areas Yves managed at Willis Re. He was a true gentleman and an extremely talented individual, who had a remarkable ability to put people at ease. I express my sincere condolences to his family.
Edwin (Pupa) Santiago
July 2, 2011
We The Santiagos are so sad to hear now of this news. We have Mary & Gabby in are prayers. May your love one rest in peace. We love you.
Sam Gilbert
July 2, 2011
I had the privilege of working with Yves over the past dozen years or so. He was remarkable for his passion, creativity, credibility, and concern for how everything he did affected others. We would often swap stories of family and children (I envied his ability to help his daughter at mathematics!), and to his family I express my deepest sympathies. (Sam Gilbert, NJ).
Nicole Beaudet
July 1, 2011
Mes sincères condoléances à toute la famille Provencher .De toute la famille de Richard Beaudet
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