Maurice Normand Boulanger

Maurice Normand Boulanger passed away peacefully on Friday, January 3rd, 2025 at Broadway Lodge in Vancouver, BC, and is survived by his daughter Chantelle Boulanger, his son-in-law Malcolm Ferrier, his grandkids Liam and Maya, his sister Marie-Annette, his brother Tommy (Annie), and his large extended family. A proud father, a curious man of science, and an enthusiastic debater, Maurice was born on April 17, 1933 in Merrit, B.C. to a large French-Canadian family. Maurice was ninth of thirteen children, and he grew up with many playmates.

Maurice was a bright boy, and his father recognized this and sent him to Vancouver College when he was a teenager. From there, Maurice went into Electrical Engineering at UBC and graduated in the early fifties. Jobs were plentiful for young engineers at the time, and he had no trouble finding employment, working with some of the early computers.

After a couple of years of work, Maurice and his friend Marvin decided to travel the world and he did a world-wide journey by plane, train, and ships, seeing countries from every continent. Upon returning, he worked for NORAD (North American Air Defence Command) and was stationed in North Bay, Ontario. He also learned to fly planes because the government would pay for young men to get their licences in case there was another war.

In Ontario, Maurice met Sandra Mannen, and they moved back to B.C. in the seventies, married, and had a child, Chantelle. He was also stepfather to Sandra’s 3 children, Leslie, Philip, and Greg. They bought a small acreage in South Surrey and had a few animals, a garden, and fruit trees.

He later moved to Salmon Arm with his daughter Chantelle and lived there from 1981 to 2020. Maurice was a devoted father and taught Chantelle how to garden, cook, skate, bike, swim, canoe, sail, and more and he supported her love of learning and reading. He also stayed in close contact with his brothers and sisters and their kids. There was always a family to celebrate with, and many Christmases were spent with Marie-Annette’s and Phyllis’ families, as well as with Evelina, Wilfred, and Eva at the coast. Most summers were spent at the cabin on the Little Shuswap Lake, a meeting place for the entire family.

Maurice became a proud and happy grandpa in 2008, when he welcomed his grandson, Liam and later in 2010, his grand-daughter, Maya. Chantelle helped him move down to the coast in 2020 to be closer to her and her family, just before the pandemic closed everything down. Maurice received wonderful care from the kind and caring staff at Broadway Lodge, where he lived for 5 years, to a ripe old age of ninety-one.

It is a comfort to think of Maurice in heaven, sight restored, greeted by all his family members who passed before him: His Mama and Pop, Eva, Irene, Wilfrid, Leo, Phillippe, Evelina, Helene, Phyllis, Jeanne, and Johnny. Knowing the Boulangers, they would greet Maurice with many hugs and kisses, as well as laughter. Shortly after, happy hour would commence, followed by a sing song and maybe some dancing! Maurice, you will be missed so much, but we are glad you returned home to so many loved ones and I know “we’ll meet again some sunny day.”