Brunet

My paternal grandfather's name was Léon Brunet. He passed away when I was twelve. The few memories I have are either of visits to his house on Sunday afternoons or short car drives to Cap-Rouge also on Sunday afternoons. When we went to his house he would sit in his armchair quietly. He rarely spoke. I remember once in a while he would get up to take a walk down the long hallway. He made very slow and very small steps.

My grandmother was Berthe Fréchette. I have fewer memories of her, probably because she died when I was five. She had nine surviving children. My father was the third child and eldest son. He was very attached and devoted to her. My mom loved her too.

My grandfather was a civil servant, working for the provincial government. He was Director of a department in Public Works responsible for all the quays on the south shore of the St-Laurence river from Quebec City to Rivière-du-Loup. He was a Civil Engineer. It must have been a full house with nine children. I picture a man with an established routine walking to work every day stopping to get his box of chocolates on the way. I think my grandmother was a secretary also at Public Works. That is how they met. The Brunets were reputed to be particular with their food, i.e. they ate a narrow range of foods. Vegetables tended to be mashed potatoes and green peas from what I remember. My grandfather also liked soup with every meal. They also consumed a lot of sweets. On those Sunday visits the conversation was always ponctuated by trays of candies being passed around. Later cake would be served as a snack. There was also a stock of chocolate bars in the pantry. The things one remembers!

The Brunet family was a city family. I have the impression they did not spend a lot of time with outdoor activities or sports.

At Chritmas they had a tree in two different living rooms. All my uncles, ants and many cousins would be there. I remember hiding behind an armchair I was so shy. That was after I was caught holding to the pant leg of an uncle instead of my dad's. They wore the same color suit, and I had not looked up to see who it belonged to.