Carl Michael Lalonde Sr.
Carl Lalonde Sr. Obituary
A good man left us on January 11, 2026. He often said he was so surprised to have lived to the age of 80, yet remained with us until five days before his 89th birthday. In his lifetime he survived a helicopter crash, a devastating car crash, cancer, a heart attack and bears wandering through his work camps. He lives on in our hearts, our memories and his influence over our lives.
Carl Lalonde Sr was born in Val D’Or, Quebec in 1937. He OFTEN shared with his children, accompanied by a wink and a chuckle, that he was such a great kid that “the neighbors used to borrow me.” His boyhood energy was directed into a lifetime of sports, including hockey, skiing, racquet sports, curling and baseball. His favorite team being the Toronto Blue Jays.
Following high school graduation, he joined the Officer Cadet program in the Canadian Navy. There is photo evidence that he especially enjoyed time in Japan on leave. An authentic Hawaiian shirt with coconut shell buttons still hangs in his closet from the same Navy period. Most importantly, the Navy brought him to port in Esquimalt, British Columbia. He vowed to return to reside in BC one day, based on that introduction.
After leaving the Navy, Carl went back to school. He earned his BSc in Geology at Haileybury School of Mines in Ontario and Michigan Tech, later following up with Professional Engineer status. He was accompanied in this endeavor and supported through the school years by his wife, Jeanne Carbonneau. Jeanne confides that she talked Carl down from quitting university (over Calculus) several times. They had started their young family at that time, eventually with Carl Jr, Jacqueline, and Suzanne in tow.
And so began the travels of an exploration geologist and family. From homes in Houghton Michigan, Timmins Ontario, Malartic Quebec, Stewart BC, Balmertown Ontario, Winnipeg Manitoba, and Richmond BC, to summer projects in the Northwest Territories and various states, the family took the transient lifestyle in stride.
Therein lies the influence that Carl had on his family. His children switched schools several times over the years and learned the value of old friends and how to make new friends. They understood that living in a new town gives you access to whole new neighboring regions, offering something to appreciate by comparison. It took the fear out of change. Carl documented their childhoods with more than the average number of photos for kids of the 1960s. He always carried his camera to his work projects (so many pictures of a rock hammer on rocks!) and had rolls of film available for family outings and vacations.
The family agrees that some of the best years were 1965-69 while living in Stewart BC. There were no roads into Stewart at that time. Access was by an amphibious WWII era Grumman Goose aircraft or by a freighter, the Northland Prince, that sailed weekly up the west coast from Vancouver. Later, this ship served with the British Navy flotilla in the defense of the Falkland Islands in 1982. There was no TV and a radio signal, beamed over the glacier crested mountain range and down to Stewart on the valley floor, was only reliable after the sun went down. Entertainment involved outdoor activities like fishing and downhill skiing, having friends in for dinner or crossing the U.S. border to the bars in Hyder Alaska. The population, less than 300 when we arrived, included a British doctor and his family. They brought along their early Beatles records to “twist” to after dinner and remained life long friends. Carl was active in sports there too, playing catcher on the Granduc Grizzlies softball team. The location offered King Crab and salmon, from the salt waters of the northern-most ice free port, and trout in the glacier fed streams. Wildlife emerging from the edge of the forest next to the school during recess and lunch breaks was a common occurrence. Learning to watch out for moose and grizzlies came naturally.
Carl was a dad who wanted his kids to have pets. He was our hero when he went down on the exposed outside deck of the Northland Prince freighter to rescue our new Scottish Terrier puppy from the cage left unsecured next to the open hold! He put a box over the cage and smuggled the dog up to our cabin in his jacket.
As the primary family wage earner, he was very focussed on providing for his family, but was also a generous man to others. He recognized strong work ethics, mentored several summer student employees over the years and helped new graduates find jobs in the mining industry.
Carl and Jeanne moved to Arbutus Ridge/Cobble Hill on Vancouver Island in retirement, fulfilling his Esquimalt promise. With newfound free time, Carl volunteered to drive cancer patients from their area to treatments an hour away in Victoria. He was a blood donor for decades, in gratitude for those donations that saved his life after the 1970s car accident. Jeanne filled the ocean view decks of their home with flower boxes and Carl filled the ground floor gardens with dahlias… much appreciated by the local deer. Easy listening classics like Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong’s “Cheek to Cheek (Heaven)” set the mood when Carl relaxed reading the newspaper. They enjoyed the sun rise and moon views reflected in the ocean for 28 years, before transitioning to an independent living residence in Nanaimo.
A few years prior to his passing, Carl was hospitalized with heart issues. One morning he was semi-upright in bed with his eyes still closed, unaware anyone else was in the room. He said aloud, “I’ve had a good life.” In recent years he often told Jeanne, “I have to go first, I can’t be without you.” Both thoughts are comforting to the family when his passing came soon after a fall on New Years Eve. We are grateful for the gentle care of the palliative team at the Nanaimo Regional Hospital.
A family Celebration of Life will be held in the Spring. In remembrance of our husband/father, please consider donating blood at your local blood bank or helping your favorite charity.
Video (3 minutes) of Carl & Jeanne - a walk along their beloved seashore mingled with old photos from 66 years of marriage, Stewart BC, 3 children and 4 grandchildren: