Valerie Susan Carpentier (Val)
Valerie Susan Carpentier (Val) of Moose Jaw, passed away peacefully on January 9, 2024, surrounded by family, at the age of 60.
Val is predeceased by her parents Kenneth and Maxine Glenn, sister, Carol Glenn, Brother-in-law, Doug Sawatsky, sisters in law, Lori Heagy and Kim Carpentier, and brothers in law, Randy Carpentier and Dahlas Carpentier.
Val is survived by her husband, Ron Carpentier of Moose Jaw, brother, Robby Glenn of Calgary, Alta, sisters, Norma Broughton of Avonlea, Kathy Glenn of Pender Island, B.C., Lori Belyea (Ken) of Prince Albert, brother in law, Dwight Carpentier (Heather) of Medicine Hat, Alta and sisters in law, Lynn Friars (Pat) of Moose Jaw and Nancy Carpentire. Val has also left behind numerous nieces and nephews, great nieces and great nephews, as well as many cousins from both sides of her family.
Val had very unique needs in her schooling which led her to attending several schools, each having some programing to assist with those needs. In Moose Jaw she attended Ross, John Chisholm, Alexandra, William Grayson, and Peacock schools. She also attended the Childrens Rehabilitation Centre in Saskatoon for one year.
Val was part of Citizens All for over 30 years in which her many workers enabled her to have the independence she so treasured.
It was very important to Val to have a job where she had responsibilities. She wanted to be a contributing member of society. She preferred to be paid, but more importantly, she enjoyed being independent in her responsibilities, even when volunteering.
Val started working at Diversified Services, and at the same time, attended classes provided by Partners In Employment (PIE). The classes that she received at PIE, allowed her to work at various paying jobs. Through the years, she worked at The Academies Hair Salon, The YM/YWCA, delivered flyers, and finally at Rainbow Retro Thrift Store. Val also volunteered for over 25 years at the Y, earning her the Moose Jaw’s Volunteer of the Year Award. Val loved her time at the Y, and only stopped volunteering there when it closed its doors.
Val had several interests to occupy her time. Away from home, she loved attending aerobics classes and was part of a weekly horseshoe team. She loved her church family and enjoyed taking bible study classes at the church. Coffee at Tims or McDonalds to meet with family or friends was very high on Val’s list of favourite things to do! Through all social interactions Val’s great sense of humour would almost always show up for all to enjoy. At home, she enjoyed visiting with family and friends using her ipad, playing cards, hooking rugs, reading and doing word searches, which more recently became ‘Words with Friends’ on facebook.
Val loved music. She was a great fan of Kenny Rogers and received annual Christmas cards from him. Closer to home, and more currently, she was a super fan of the musical group, The Stampeders. She and Ron attended every one of their concerts held in Moose Jaw and enjoyed a personal friendship with the members of the band.
Val was also a great sports fan. In particular, she loved the Blue Jays and Roughriders. When she watched the games on TV, she always wore some form of fan clothing. She also attended some Blue Jay and Roughrider games in person when possible!
Val was very nurturing. She took on her role as a caregiver very seriously. She was very pleased to be able to help our mom and dad in their later years. She made coffee in her apartment upstairs and brought it down to share with them every morning. She would also take that opportunity to privately check to see that they took their pills. Later, she took great pride in caring for Ron. She especially loved to plan and cook meals for the two of them. In her last years, while fighting cancer, she thankfully accepted help that she wouldn’t normally have accepted, but if there was ever a time where she was feeling well enough, she made sure to look after her own caregivers.
Family was very important to Val. She got great pleasure attending special family events, especially The Howell Family reunions. Although going to, or meeting at McDonalds was very important, she also enjoyed visits at home with her various family members.
Special thanks to Doug Sigglekow for his ongoing support and availability, especially to Ron and Val but also to her immediate family; to Holly, who made a special connection with Val, enabling her to feel comfortable receiving daily personal care visits; and to Dr. Volker Rininsland and Dr. Kateryna Pilon for Val’s end of life care.
Val’s memorial/celebration of life service will be held at 1:00 on May 22, 2024, at Hillcrest Apostolic Church in Moose Jaw. There will be a fellowship time following the service.
For those wishing memorial donations may be directed to Hillcrest Apostolic Church or Kinsmen Telemiracle.