Mémé Louise Ann ArsenaultCourtesy of family
(Mémé) Louise Marie Arsenault: Grandmother. Volunteer. Knitter. Devout. Born Aug. 31, 1926, in Abram-Village, PEI; died March 2, 2023, in O’Leary, PEI, from complications from a mild stroke; aged 96.
Ask anyone in the Evangeline region of Prince Edward Island who Louise Arsenault was, and you will likely be asked, “Which Louise?” But ask them about Mémé Louise and there will be no doubt about who you are talking about.
In this rural region, west of Summerside, where so many people share the same first name and often last name, a litany of generational monikers are required for proper identification. But that distinction was never needed for Louise Arsenault à Antonin Gallant à Joe Cannon: It was just Mémé Louise, or grandmother Louise.
Louise was the second child of 13 born to Hermina Arsenault and Antonin Gallant. They lived on a small farm and her father earned money as the village barber. As the eldest daughter, she was forced to quit school in Grade 4 to help take care of her siblings. She was sad to leave school because she loved to learn and, later in life, when one of her grandkids had an exam or a project at school, she would pray for them and call to see how they had done.
In her 20s she went to work in Moncton as a housemaid and met and fell in love with Felix Arsenault, who was also from the Evangeline region. After getting married, they moved back to PEI, eventually buying a small farm with a garden, chickens and an orchard. Over 18 years, Louise had 14 children: Ten boys and four girls.
Her unwavering faith and strong familial bonds helped her overcome many challenges, including Felix’s death when she was just 49, with seven children under 16 years of age still at home.
She took a job at the local lobster factory, where she worked for 10 years. Coming home after a long day on her feet, she would do the laundry, cook and clean the house. She woke before sunrise every second day to make bread. At mealtimes, she would never sit down to eat but stood by the stove making sure everyone had enough food.
For her 90th birthday, Mémé Louise arrived in style on a four-wheel drive.Courtesy of family
A knitter by necessity at first, she turned that into a business as well as charity, selling socks and mittens and donating quilt pieces to send to Africa. She continued knitting for the sheer pleasure of it, and would happily sit in her favourite chair, surrounded by family and friends listening to the conversation while her hands effortlessly turned wool into a gift.
As soon as the first grandkids appeared, she became Mémé Louise, even to her own children! Louise had 37 grandchildren, then 57 great-grandchildren, and counting. She never said no to her grandkids (she always had fresh baked goods, ice cream and candy around the house) and had a lot of fun taking photos with them and using smartphone filters.
Louise found solace in her faith, attending church multiple times a week and praying the Rosary every evening. She would ride her banana-seat bicycle to church and, as she got older, walked the two kilometres, knitting in hand.
For many years, she volunteered at the PEI Acadian Festival, showing traditional skills such as spinning wool or churning butter. She also often dressed up for Halloween or as Mrs. Claus for community events.
In her 60s, Mémé Louise was a founding committee member for the development of Le Chez-Nous, a home for the elderly in the area. She invested time, energy, passion and prayers in the project. But for Mémé Louise, Le Chez-Nous was a home for the elderly in the community, not for her. Louise lived the remainder of her life on her farm; her children tore down the old farmhouse and built her a new one so she wouldn’t have to leave.
Near the end, during her stay in palliative care, Mémé Louise would often ask for her needles and wool. But one last pair of mittens remains half done, Mémé Louise’s only unfinished task.
Yvon Cormier is Mémé Louise’s son-in-law; Yosé Cormier is Yvon’s son.
To submit a Lives Lived: lives@globeandmail.com
To learn how to share the story of a family member or friend, go online to tgam.ca/livesguide