Obituary of Leonard Samoisette

Léonard Claude Samoisette was born on May 20, 1930 on the family homestead, west of Gravelbourg. He is the fourth child of Oscar Samoisette and Rosa Tetreault’s eight children. He had four brothers - Louis, Alex, Raymond and André and three sisters – Armande, Gracia and Claire.

Neighbours at the Samoisette farm were the Lorrain, Pinsonneault, Bourgeois, Bouvier and Chevrier families. Leonard often spoke of how these neighbours were like family.

He attended Arland Country School until Grade 8, then worked on the family farm alongside his father, uncles and brothers.

Growing up on the homestead instilled in Léonard a strong work ethic, as all the children had jobs early on. One of Léonard's jobs was tending to the chickens, geese and turkeys. Every year, two turkeys were butchered, frozen and sent by train to Québec to his grandparents. In return a case of maple syrup from a maple tree farm was sent to Gravelbourg to be enjoyed by Oscar, Rosa and the family.

Léonard also practiced woodworking at a very young age and built small furniture and repaired wooden grain bins. He also renovated the kitchen when Oscar and Rosa moved to the farm north of Gravelbourg in 1947, he was only 17 when he took on this project.  His mother Rosa was confident in Léonard's carpentry abilities, and she got a kitchen she was proud of.

The Samoisette family ran a dairy farm north of Gravelbourg. Léonard and his brother Raymond milked the cows and delivered milk daily to customers in town and to some businesses. Gracia and her mother were the bottle washers and bottlers of this family operation.

In July of 1957, Léonard married Rita Deaust of Gravelbourg. Together they raised a family of six children, and he was always proud to say he kept it even with 3 boys and 3 girls! Throughout the years, the family grew, and Léonard and Rita welcomed and loved 14 grandchildren. A new generation has since been added to the family with 12 great-grandchildren! Léonard loved his large family, all those children brought smiles and joy to him. Léonard and Rita were married for 56 years.

Leonard had an eye for detail and a very strong work ethic. He was an accomplished carpenter in the Gravelbourg area for many years, building over 50 homes, some of these homes were truly works of art. He put his heart into every construction project and was very proud of his work.

Léonard would put in the foundation of a new home in early spring, stop this project to go seeding, return to frame the home, then see to the summer fallow and harvest. Winter time was time to complete the house. And then the following year, he would do it all again!

He was also known for wonderful home renovations. One of his biggest renovations was the renovation of the family home north of Gravelbourg, in 1974. This was a "timely" renovation, he orchestrated this project so that his six children could be part of the demolition and renovation. His children were old enough to help and not old enough to have left home yet! This renovation was a complete demolition, removing plaster and lath board, hauling this out by the pailfuls and building new walls, moving the staircase, new bathrooms, etc. The family of 8 remained living in the home at the time of this renovation. This was a winter project, as he had farming to do in the spring! 

A foreman on many construction projects in Gravelbourg and area, such as halls and businesses, was an opportunity for many people to work alongside a master.  He knew how to organize large groups of people and keep everyone working efficiently. Léonard had the gift of never looking rushed when he was working, but at the same time, he was very hard to keep up to! (Ask his sons and their friends!)

He purchased land north of Gravelbourg, near Palmer and Mazenod, and farmed for many years with his sons and more closely with his younger son Claude, until he retired from farming. Retirement didn’t mean he had to stop farming, though, as he would often put in a few “shifts” on the combine at harvest helping out Claude's farm crew. His last shift on the combine was at the age of 89.

Léonard and Rita were part of the bowling league in Gravelbourg and bowled with very good friends for many years. They also had weekly card parties with very close friends. Léonard enjoyed playing Low Card Rummy with his family and grandchildren.

In his retirement, he made many wooden handcrafted gifts such as small treasure boxes, library tables, kitchen tables and chairs. A treasured gift to his children was a wooden rocking chair that he built, it was a replica of the rocking chair that he used to rock his children in and read The Western Producer!

Léonard is survived by his children: Richard (Jean) Samoisette, Mathew Samoisette, Kyle Samoisette; Daniel (Janet) Samoisette, Elyse Samoisette, Enzo Doiron, Revvin Doiron, Charnele Samoisette (Travis Thurlow), Nixin Thurlow, Van Thurlow, Jillian Busse (Tyler Busse), Luna Busse, Oliver Busse; Jocelyne (Denis Chevrier), Janique (Blair Wilson), Kierran Wilson, Curtis Wilson, Maxim Chevrier, Arianne Chevrier; Gisele (David Punga), Sylvie Punga (Matt Paterson), Blake Paterson, Drew Paterson, Allan Punga, Renée Hovdebo (Callum Hovdebo), Gunnar Hovdebo, Wolfe Hovdebo; Claude Samoisette; Nicole (Patrick Dupuis), Marie-Josée Dupuis, Vincent Dupuis, Jean-Luc Dupuis;  Léonard's sister Gracia (Larry Bekker); and numerous nieces and nephews.

Léonard was predeceased by his loving wife Rita (née Deaust) Samoisette, his parents Oscar et Rosa (née Tétrault), his siblings Louis (Alice) Samoisette, Alex (Germaine) Samoisette, Armande Bouvier, Raymond (Mildred) Samoisette, André (Marlene) Samoisette, Claire (Art) Privé. He was also predeceased by Rita's family: Charles et Yvonne Deaust; Henri Michaud; Alice (Deaust) and Vernon Bieker; Victor Ratzlaff.

Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, September 6, 2025 at 11:00 am at Our Lady of the Assumption Co-Cathedral in Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan, with Father Carlos Jimenez and Father Yves Martial Kouame Co-celebrating. Memorial donations in Leonard’s memory may be given to the Foyer d’Youville Foundation, Box 810, Gravelbourg, SK S0H 1X0.