Obituary of Gontran Trottier

Gontran Trottier – 90, of Centrelea, passed away May 6, 2025.

 

He lost his mother early. His father tried to stop him from going to university by refusing to sign his financial aid papers. He found a way anyway, earning degrees in mathematics and education. He built a successful company publishing textbooks. He amassed wealth and status, lost it all, and put that chapter behind him with a move to Nova Scotia. Most of you here knew him as a French teacher. He wished he could make enough money as a florist, because that was the best job he ever had. His last job was in a technical support call centre.

He resonated with Rudyard Kipling's poem, “How to be a Man,” and was proud of his silence. He feared he wasn't cut out to be a teacher, but he believed in demonstrating confidence. He was bitter about colleagues who held students to higher standards than what they could model themselves, but he believed in showing a united front. He cried over the stories of abuse that his students confided in him, but he believed in honouring their privacy. He had great trouble remembering names, opening up and making friends.

He loved his wife of 68 years. He loved his kids, boys and girl alike, biological and adopted alike. He loved his students. He loved learning about science. He loved brie cheese on apple slices. He clung to life beyond his 90th birthday, not out of any fear of death, but for the sake of what he loved. He would wish all of you could find that kind of satisfaction.

 

Online condolences may be made at www.kaulbachfamilyfuneralhome.com