January 13, 1942 – December 27, 2021
It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Marie Therese Giselle Françoise (Bienvenu) Ponting (Françoise) on December 27, 2021. Françoise took her final adventure with family by her side after a long battle with dementia. She leaves to mourn her passing her children Patricia (John) Ponting, Carol (Brian) Pedersen, and Thomas (Louise) Ponting; her grandchildren Elizabeth (Travis) Trofimenkoff, Mackenzie Ponting, Tessa Ponting, and Connor Ponting; her siblings Suzelle, Marie, Guy, and sister-in-law Debra; and many other extended family and friends.
As Winnie the Pooh once said, “what an adventure that was.” Françoise was born in South Brookfield, Nova Scotia as the 7th out of ten children born in her family. She and her family moved to Montreal when she was a young child. There, she attended school with the nuns where she learned that “cleanliness was next to godliness,” and acquired outstanding penmanship skills that would last her entire lifetime. She met the love of her life, Stewart, (Stu) at Bell Canada after her sister pointed him in her direction, and such was the beginning of their epic love story. Stu and Françoise were married September 2, 1961 and had three children: Patricia, Carol, and Thomas. Their adventure continued and their love to travel sparked in 1974 when they drove across the country to move to Calgary, Alberta. Françoise had a passion for adventure and was fortunate to travel across the globe. From watching her son compete in the Los Angeles, California and Seoul, South Korea Olympics to enjoying Broadway in New York, she embraced every new experience and loved every second. While in her 40’s, Françoise endeavoured on a European tour for folks under 30 with only a guitar case as her luggage. Her many adventures brought her to so many places all over the world including Edinburgh, and Tuktoyaktuk among many others. After Stu’s passing in 2014, Françoise moved to Lethbridge with Elizabeth and Travis where she enjoyed visiting and caring for her daughter, Patricia, and watching Mamma Mia on repeat. In her final years, she enjoyed having breakfasts and watching films with her daughter, Carol, and listening to her favourite songs.
Françoise always had a love for music, which was evident in her involvement in the Sweet Adelines in Calgary, and later in the Claresholm Community Choir. She had the voice of an angel, and even after her dementia took the words away from her, she still sang beautifully with her granddaughter Elizabeth’s accompaniment every Friday. Françoise was also a “loud and proud” swim mom, travelling around the world with her son, Thomas, watching him compete and cheering him on. Above all else, Françoise was a kind soul. Her and Stu often opened their home to anyone who needed a place to rest their head for the night. The “Ponting Hotel” was known to house many billets over 12 years, and Françoise was mom to many swimmers who were semi-permanent residents, including Graham Smith (Olympian), Brian Johnson, Rob Chernoff (Olympian), JP Cote, AnneMarie Anderson (Olympian), and Lucie Cossette. Even after a long and hard 7-year battle with Lewy-body dementia, she still showed compassion and kindness to anyone and everyone who crossed her path. She was loved and adored by all who surrounded her, including the staff at her final place of life, the Willow Creek Continuing Care Center.
We will all miss Françoise, and our hearts are broken over her passing. May her reunion with Stu in heaven be full of love and wonder, just as their lives were.
No celebration of life is scheduled at this time. In lieu of flowers, please send a donation to the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada.
Memories and condolences may be shared with the family by visiting www.leydens.com.