Dorais
Réal Joseph Alcide
February 14, 1948 - May 5, 2018
Captain Réal Dorais was born in Grand-mére during a fierce snowstorm on February 14, 1948. He was 8 weeks early and a mere 4.5 lbs, but survived, kept warm in a shoebox in front of an open oven door. After racing his Blue Camaro on the back roads of rural Québec, he decided to settle down and joined the military (army). His career took him on many missions and adventures all over the world, from Vietnam to Cyprus to Europe. Commissioned from the ranks, he became an officer and worked for NATO and then the Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Powers of Europe (SHAPE) in Belgium. Amongst his numerous accolades, he was the proud recipient of a medal for peacekeeping for his work during the Vietnam war, and the Governor General’s Order of Military Merit for dedication and devotion beyond the call of duty. Réal died, at the age of 70, after making a series of inappropriate remarks in French, which were sadly never comprehended by the nurses and staff. They did, however, bring smiles to his family’s faces. Most people dying of cancer choose to go gentle into that good night, but he opted to burn and rave at close of day; raging against the dying of the light. He sold his Blue Camaro to marry his wife and best-friend, Linda Pelletier, for over 40 years. Despite being 8 years her senior, he won her love within hours with his loud voice, commanding presence, and irreverent sense of humour. They were known as the couple to emulate and many failed over the years to find a love that even came close to theirs. Their most serious battle being over his need to keep the television volume at concert levels. Together they raised two daughters with minimal accomplishments: one with an MD/PhD and one who is constantly headhunted by companies because of her outstanding skills, currently being utilized in her role as Chief Marketing Officer for a corporation in London, England. Réal is pre-deceased by his mother, Annette Boisvert and his sister Lise St-James. He is survived by his sisters Madeleine and Françoise, his brother René, and his half-brothers Jean-Guy and Normand. He leaves momentous memories of bravery and kindness in the hearts of his spouse, Linda Pelletier Dorais and his daughters Véronique (Rithesh Ram) and Sonia (Andrea Ravaioli). His granddaughters, Lalina and Suvera, will so miss their Friday Dairy Queen ice-creams with Grandpa, and his newest grandchildren, Angela (Sonia & Andrea) and Nahlyn (Véronique & Rithesh) are fortunate to have experienced the warmth of his gentle cuddles before he passed. He will forever be remembered as a loving spouse, an endearing father, and a grandfather who fed curious little minds with stories and sillies. A funeral will take place later this summer back in his home town (Grand-mére, Québec).
