Obituary of Joseph Adelard Herve Levesque

Joseph Adelard Herve Levesque 1931 – 1966 known as Harvey Herve Levesque was born in Cabano, Quebec in 1931 and left home at the age of 18 to come out west. He spent the first few years working in Alberta. In 1966 Herve moved to the Dawson Creek area. During the winter of 1969 he went to work for Borek Construction who he worked for for many years as a cat skinner. Herve spent many winters working in places like Norman Wells, Banks Island and Inuvik. It was during one of these jobs that he met the first member of our family… me, Patrick Hawryluk. I told Herve, "Have I got the woman for you!”. And so the introduction was made between Herve and Dean, our mother. The Sparks flew! Dats love, as Herve would say. It was 1971 when Herve put down roots with Dean and her family. He lived and took care of Dean and her three youngest kids, of whom Herve became a father figure. Herve would spend cold winters in the frozen north and come back in the spring with his pockets bulging with pay-cheques and the parties would begin. He loved to watch hockey, go fishing and to have wiener roasts. He enjoyed long country drives with Dean and the kids, and spending time with family and friends. He truly loved children and animals and would always get a kick out of it when we teased him about his broken English, but never got mad about it. He liked to teach us how to cook and clean up afterwards. One time Leslie asked him, "what are you making for supper Herve?” and he replied, "Herve’s Special!” , and to this day we still call shepherd’s pie – "Herve’s Special”. Herve met many people and made friends easily. He won the respect of those he worked with. Herve tried many new ventures like chicken ranching and horse trading. He purchased The Coffee Pot Truck Stop on the Hart Highway in 1978 and took pride in owning and running his own business. He taught the kids how to cook in the restaurant, how to pump gas as well as how to run the store. It was a big loss for Herve and the family when The Coffee Pot burned down. Herve retired from cat skinning at the age of 65 and was happy to do so. He still enjoyed hearing about the jobs his friends and family worked on and reminiscing about old jobs. Herve was very proud of his family and especially his grandchildren. He would brag about them all to everyone anytime. He was always happy to see them and they knew it. He was always kind and generous, and would never criticize them – they could do no wrong in his eyes. In his last few years his favorite job was looking after his grandchild, Myles, after school. Those were very special days for Herve, he looked forward to each and every day they got to spend together. Herve was a very kind and gentle soul. He will be missed dearly by many. Herve passed away on October 4, 2009 at 78 years of age. A Memorial service was held for him on October 13, 2009 at the Bergeron Funeral Chapel, Dawson Creek, British Columbia. Expressions of sympathy in memory of Herve may be made by way of a donation to the Canadian Cancer Society.