Obituary for Claire Lynn Tremblay (Pretulac)
The family announces with great sadness the passing of their mother, siti and sister Claire Lynn Tremblay (nee Pretulac) with her family by her side January 22, 2023 at the age of 77. Claire leaves behind her 5 children David (Susan) of Timmins, April Szpara (David) of Fort Frances, Leeann of Edmonton, Tamara Tremblay-Bartolomucci (Tony) of Timmins and Micheal (Bella) of Timmins. Siti will be greatly missed by her eight adoring grandchildren: Andrew and Jennifer Watt of Edmonton, Jacob and Sara Tremblay of South Porcupine, Emily and Jordyn Bartolomucci of Timmins, Jody Szpara of Fort Frances and Robert Tremblay Jr. of Timmins. She leaves behind her sisters Diane Calvert of Timmins, Marilyn Fournier (Rick) of South Porcupine, Joanne Gibbons of Kamloops, BC, and her baby brother Ken Pretulac of Calgary, AB. Claire also leaves behind many nieces and nephews from across Canada and is predeceased by her husband Robert, her mother Annie Pretulac (nee Karam), her father Nicholas Pretulac; and her brothers Carl and Michael Edward Pretulac.
A pioneer for women working in the non-traditional trades, Claire was the first woman to be a grader operator at the Malette-Waferboard Plant in Timmins in 1974, where she worked for over 35 years! A vocal advocate for labour rights, she also acted as the union steward there.
Claire was a quick witted straight shooter with the best smile and a great laugh! Reading was her pastime as she was known to easily complete a novel in a day. A cruciverbalist, Claire had the most extensive vocabulary in the family, which came in handy when we had an English paper due for school. Siti adored her grandchildren and never hesitated to advocate for them in ensuring that they remained spoiled. With her Lebanese/Ukrainian heritage and having married a Frenchman, our mother became a culinary expert. She loved to entertain and you were crazy if you turned down an invite to dinner. Claire lived hard and played hard, living on her own terms. She will be dearly missed by all.
The family would like to thank the staff of the Timmins and District Hospital for the exceptional care that they provided. A special thank you to Drs. Miron, Rody and Hopkins, the staff of the stroke rehabilitation department and the staff of the palliative care department; especially Lynn and Johnna, whose strength and care made our mother’s passing comfortable and dignified.
Cremation has taken place, and a celebration of life will be held on the 1st of April, 2023 at Lessard-Stephens Funeral Home Chapel at 1 pm. The service will be livestreamed on the funeral home Facebook page. To access the livestream, CLICK HERE 5 mins prior to the service. Any donations in her memory can be made to the Timmins and District Hospital Foundation.
A pioneer for women working in the non-traditional trades, Claire was the first woman to be a grader operator at the Malette-Waferboard Plant in Timmins in 1974, where she worked for over 35 years! A vocal advocate for labour rights, she also acted as the union steward there.
Claire was a quick witted straight shooter with the best smile and a great laugh! Reading was her pastime as she was known to easily complete a novel in a day. A cruciverbalist, Claire had the most extensive vocabulary in the family, which came in handy when we had an English paper due for school. Siti adored her grandchildren and never hesitated to advocate for them in ensuring that they remained spoiled. With her Lebanese/Ukrainian heritage and having married a Frenchman, our mother became a culinary expert. She loved to entertain and you were crazy if you turned down an invite to dinner. Claire lived hard and played hard, living on her own terms. She will be dearly missed by all.
The family would like to thank the staff of the Timmins and District Hospital for the exceptional care that they provided. A special thank you to Drs. Miron, Rody and Hopkins, the staff of the stroke rehabilitation department and the staff of the palliative care department; especially Lynn and Johnna, whose strength and care made our mother’s passing comfortable and dignified.
Cremation has taken place, and a celebration of life will be held on the 1st of April, 2023 at Lessard-Stephens Funeral Home Chapel at 1 pm. The service will be livestreamed on the funeral home Facebook page. To access the livestream, CLICK HERE 5 mins prior to the service. Any donations in her memory can be made to the Timmins and District Hospital Foundation.