August 3, 1943 – October 17, 2022
Hedy was the second oldest of nine children born to Alfred Villeneuve and Evelyn Hildebrandt in Barry’s Bay, Ontario. She spent her childhood and early adulthood enjoying family and friends, running a business (Village Flower Shoppe) and raising her two children, Alicia and Chris. After relocating to Pembroke, she graduated from a business administration program at Algonquin College – Pembroke and then worked at Moncion Groceries. At the age of 42, she graduated from the Nursing Assistant program at Algonquin College – Ottawa and spent her nursing career working at the Pembroke Regional Hospital on the surgical and pediatric floors, retiring in 1995. She poured her skills, love, and patience into taking care of others, especially young children.
In her spare time, she brought joy and beauty to the world through tending her flower gardens, sharing her cooking abilities, and opening her home to anyone in need of comfort or respite. Along with her mother and several siblings, she joined and volunteered for the Barry’s Bay Legion, Branch 406, paying tribute to her father, a World War II veteran.
If you knew Hedy, you never forgot her. Her infamous dishes of chicken and dumplings or cabbage rolls fed body and spirit. Everyone, family and friends alike, were always welcomed to sit for a while and share stories. She loved travelling with family to faraway places like France, Italy and Jamaica, but also across Canada and the U.S., notably Graceland. She was an especially competitive card player of euchre and cribbage.
Hedy was the proud mother of Alicia (Matt) of Chicago and Chris (Ethan) of Toronto and an incredible Nana to Kaitlyn, Brian, Lillian, John, Samuel and Sarah Schatteman. She will be missed by her many friends and extended family members.
Hedy was appropriately named after St. Hedwig of Silesia, a religious woman and a mother, with ties to both Germany and Poland. Coincidentally, Hedy received the Catholic sacrament of anointing of the sick on St. Hedwig’s feast day, October 16. She passed peacefully surrounded by her family on October 17. A funeral mass was held at St. Hedwig’s Roman Catholic Church on October 22 followed by burial.
The family wishes to thank Ron Sorrell, Jean and Harold Edwards, Audrey Waito, Dr. Savoie and her team at the Pembroke Regional Hospital, and the many friends and relatives who supported Hedy over the years. In her memory, the family encourages donations to the Stationkeepers in Barry’s Bay to plant a tree in her memory in the park adjacent to the restored train station.
