Aime Denis Pigeon
July 10, 1938 – Aug. 14, 2023
Aime Denis Pigeon passed away peacefully on Aug. 14, 2023. His best friend and wife of 60 years, Bonnie, was by his side.
Aime Pigeon was born in Jean Côté, Alta. on July 10, 1938. His father Joseph died when he was two and a half, so his mother Victorine raised him along with his seven siblings.
After having a couple of schools burn down on him and then spending a few years at a boys’ college in Falher, Alta. Aime quit school after Grade 11 to start working.
First, he worked at the lumber mill in Manning, Alta. then the Edmonton Hatchery, followed by a year at Taylor Pearson, then up to Yellowknife to drill for gold and try to make some real money.
But when he discovered that he spent as much as he earned, he chartered a plane back to Alberta and found a job in Peace River working the counter for Forseth Motors. That’s also when he started his apprenticeship as a mechanic–and it’s when he met Bonnie.
Aime and Bonnie fell in love. They got engaged on Easter 1963, but they didn’t want a big wedding, so they eloped!
They moved in together in Revelstoke, BC, then to Calgary. When they both got fired, they got outta town and moved back to Peace River. That’s where their family began to grow when Gay was born on Oct. 19, 1964. Then in the spring of 1967, they moved to Glenwood, though they didn’t stay long.
The family moved around a lot while Aime worked to provide for his growing family. First, back to Calgary from 1967-69–when Star joined the gang on Feb. 20, 1968. Then out to Chilliwack, B.C. from 1969-1974, where the addition of Randy on May 3, 1970 brought their numbers to five. Then to Stettler from 1974-75, then Red Willow, Alta. from 1975-1980.
In January 1978, they started a business–A-Jay Motors. Their business grew to include a few other small businesses to support their family, including U-Haul, an AMC Jeep Dealership, Stettler Filter Cleaning, a Pop Shoppe, A-Jay Radiator and ABP Feed.
Aime and Bonnie stayed in the “House on the Hill” outside Red Willow for 20 years until moving beside Pheasantback Golf and Country Club in 2000.
Through their 60 years together, they made friends. They laughed. Their family got bigger. Their love grew. They built a life. They thrived.
We will miss Aime Pigeon. We’ll miss his fondness for Royal Red and his sweet tooth. We’ll miss watching hockey games and ball games with him, and we’ll miss the way he danced.
We’ll miss our husband, father, grandpa, uncle, cousin and our friend.
Aime is survived by his wife Bonnie, his daughters Gay Baltimore (Brad) and Star Caldwell (Pat), his grandchildren Miranda Snook (Jonathan), Jordan Ray, Kaitlyn Pigeon, Liam Caldwell, Brant Caldwell, Cora Pigeon and Victoria Caldwell.
Also his great-grandchildren Jared and Lilly Snook, as well as his sister Laurie Marcotte and sisters-in-law Ilah Hucik and Dianne Zantige and brother-in-law Norman Lee.
He was predeceased by his son Randy Pigeon; his brothers Ray, Marcel and Vic; his sisters Yvette Kohlsmith, Annette Gagnon, and Jeanine Durfey, and his parents Joseph and Victorine Pigeon, father- and mother-in-law Bob and Maxine (Simon) Lee, brothers-in-law Peter Hucik, Henke Zantige and sister-in-law Mary Rose Lee.
You did good work, Aime. Time to pour a cup of Royal Red in heaven and find a good ball game in heaven to watch with Randy, Bob Johnson, and Terry Rushton.
Aime’s Celebration of Life will be held Fri. Sept. 15, 2023, 2 p.m. at the Stettler Funeral Home, 4707 – 70 Street, Stettler, Alta.
Condolences may be sent to the family, please visit www.stettlerfuneralhome.com. Stettler Funeral Home & Crematorium entrusted with the care and funeral arrangements 403-742-3342.
