Madeleine Smith

A quiet force to be reckoned with.

Madeleine Irene Smith lived with a strength that never required volume. Strong-willed, physically vibrant, and strikingly beautiful, she carried herself with the assurance of someone who knew exactly who she was. She was an artist, a masterful cook, a gifted gardener, a nurse, a mentor - and the enduring centre of her family.

In August 1955, in Arvida, she went on a blind date with a young man named Victor. She spoke mostly French. He spoke mostly English. Between them was determination - and apparently, that was enough. They were married on June 30, 1956, at St. Thérèse Chapel at RCAF Bagotville. Seven people attended. Small wedding. Vast outcome.

Victor passed away in 2020. Their partnership - nearly sixty-five years - remains inseparable.

Their first child, Pat, was born in 1957. Before Pat turned four, she had three sisters - Susan, Alison, and Monica - and later a brother, Michael. Over time came eighteen grandchildren and now a great-grandchild count so high we’ve happily lost track. The family moved sixteen times, building home after home wherever duty called.

Madeleine balanced marriage, motherhood, and a demanding professional life with discipline, humour, and grace. She began her nursing career at Chicoutimi General Hospital in emergency before moving into obstetrics in 1956. As a military nurse, she served at Borden, Valcartier, and the National Defence Medical Centre in Ottawa. She did not seek recognition. She simply showed up - capable, steady, composed.

Her service extended beyond her profession. She volunteered with Ottawa Public Health initiatives, walking clubs, the Gloucester Horticultural Society, Health Connection in Metcalfe, the T.A.Z. program, and Osgoode Home Support. She gave her time the way she gave everything else: without fanfare, with purpose.

At home, she was legendary.

Her Thanksgiving and Christmas tables have achieved near-mythic status. The meals were not just abundant - they were strategic, precise, and unforgettable. She understood food and nutrition long before it became fashionable to discuss either. No lectures. No trends. Just mastery. Everyone carries a Madeleine food memory.

Her gardens were perhaps her most visible art. Twenty-two of them - Dad counted. Vegetable plots productive and exact. Flower beds lush but disciplined. Columbines were her favourite. She was a steward of the land long before stewardship was a slogan. Through her, we learned that tending something living is both responsibility and privilege.

What many of us will remember most is her steadiness of spirit.

She forgave. She let things go. She refused to live in bitterness. During a time of great anxiety, she offered a lesson that has echoed through generations: there is no value in worrying about awful things that may happen. Life already contains enough hardship. We are meant to enjoy the goodness we are given. It was discipline. It was strength.

Madeleine was the family’s life coach before anyone used the term. She was the glue - holding us steady through moves, careers, births, losses, and the joyful chaos of a large family. She listened carefully. Corrected when necessary. Encouraged always. She expected resilience - and modelled it daily.

She leaves behind her five children - Pat, Susan, Alison, Monica, and Michael - eighteen grandchildren - a growing and exuberant circle of great-grandchildren - and a legacy rooted in competence, generosity, and grace.

Her life was not loud. It was consequential. A quiet force. And a life very well lived. We love you.

Those who wish to attend there will be a visitation form 11am-1pm followed by a service at 1pm, burial at 2pm, then a reception from 2:30pm - 4:30pm all held on Saturday, February 21st, 2026, at Beechwood Funeral, Cemetery and Cremation Services (280 Beechwood Avenue).