Obituary of Mark Ivan Roger Lee Poulin
POULIN, Mark
December 8, 2020
Mark Poulin died peacefully at home on Tuesday, December 8, 2020, at the age of 91. Devoted husband to Rose for 61 years, loving father to Christine and Mark Jr., and so very proud of his grandson Jason and his great granddaughter Shiloh. Mark is survived by his sister Yvette, and is predeceased by his brother Stanley and sisters Louise and Lorraine.
Mark (Ivan Roger Lee) was the son of Wilfrid Poulin and Helen McCullough, whose Irish roots gave him beautiful blue eyes, a full head of jet black hair (combed in his youth, but in later years, as Dad would say, J’vas m’ placer les cheveux!), and an endearing Irish lilt to his spoken English. Although born a Québécois, Dad’s mother was adamant that he be named Mark rather than the French Marc, which remained important to him his entire life.
Mark was born in Saint-Côme de Beauce, Québéc on December 7, 1929. He left home at 16 to begin his life adventure, hopping a freight train to work as a cook/lumberjack in the backwoods of Maine, USA. Eventually our bûcheron decided to settle down and learn a trade. In the 1950s he became a Class A welder and moved to Ontario, first as a carefree bachelor in Kingston (where he ate a lot of spaghetti), then as a newlywed with Rose in Toronto, before landing in St. Catharines in 1960 to work at Port Weller Dry Docks. Mark’s journey continued when he put down his sooty welder’s mask in 1969 for a healthier job at Canada Post’s main station on Church Street, where he remained until his retirement in 1990.
Mark was a daily and voracious reader. He really enjoyed newspapers—the Star, the Globe & Mail, the occasional New York Times, and always the St. Catharines Standard (including the day before his death). Dad knew so much and could weigh in on most every topic, especially politics—be it local or global! Mark was a staunch supporter of the NDP since its inception. He also was actively involved at the outset of the St. Catharines and District Labour Council. Dad was a union man through and through.
Mark also was proud of his French heritage and was passionate about la communauté francophone in Niagara. He was directly involved with la Paroisse Immaculée Conception, held executive positions until very recently in Le Conseil des hommes catholiques, and over the years was an active member of Les Chevaliers de Colomb, Le Club Richelieu, and Le Club LaSalle.
Sports-wise, and in addition to being a good bowler and line-dancer, Mark enjoyed watching golf, baseball (go Yankees!), and hockey. His favourite hockey team was always based on his favourite player: first Gordie Howe, then Wayne Gretzky, and lastly “Sid the Kid” Crosby. Fortunately, none of his idols ever played for the Leafs.
To the very end, Mark was always on the go and a do-it-yourself kinda guy around the house. He could fix just about anything with homemade gadgets—or as he would call them, “doodads”—selected from his collection of “bric a brac.” And one of Mark’s favourite and most used phrases when exasperated was “Good Gravy!”
Dad truly was a kind-hearted man: friendly, gentle, good-humoured, polite, and humble. He imparted to his children his great love of animals (which started as a young man with his beloved collie Bobby). Mark was signed up for organ donation for decades, though he recently said: “I don’t know if anyone can still use my parts; maybe my skin?” As he neared the end, he always said he was a pragmatic man and that he was at peace with “the man upstairs.”
Mark’s memories and stories of things past were always interesting and never ceased to surprise us. He will be missed by his family and by the many people who had the pleasure of knowing him.
We thank all of the caregivers from LHIN and ParaMed, with special thanks to Rowena and Wilson for their care and support.
As per Mark’s wishes, the family will hold a private service and internment of ashes. Donations in his memory can be made to Paroisse Immaculée Conception, Garnet St., St. Catharines.
