“Always wanted to be the last one to leave the party…”
On Tuesday, December 6, surrounded by his loving family, Jean passed away at his home in Ottawa, on his own terms, at the age of 63. He put up a good fight against cancer since his initial diagnosis 12 months ago. He was glad to see his first grandchild through his first year, to attend his daughter Caroline’s wedding, to have trips with his family, and to spend time with his friends and his extended family.
The second of four children of Céline and Lucien Boutin, Jean had a charmed childhood. He spent his summers and weekends at the family cottage in St. Donat, where his father taught him to downhill ski and water ski.
He met his soulmate Laura at Concordia University in 1981. They married in 1986 and moved to Ottawa, where he raised his family and worked for the federal government for 30 years.
Jean was not defined by his work. He loved being with his family, and spent his free time taking his family camping, hiking, skiing, biking and cottaging. He was overjoyed when he had the chance to bring his family to Paris for a three-year posting, and made sure that they lived the experience to the fullest.
Jean always said that his greatest accomplishment was his children. When his children were grown up, and the “teachable moments” were fewer and farther between, he organized trips with his friends. After his retirement in 2018, he filled his days with volunteering (Canadian Red Cross and the Children’s Aid Society) and great gigs like Mont Tremblant’s Info-Ski and driving RVs down south.
Jean leaves behind his wife of 36 years, Laura; his children Jonathan (Ali Campbell), Caroline (Christophe Ledent), Émilie, and Olivier (Hope Gaze), as well as his grandson Leo. He also leaves behind his mother Céline, and his siblings Hélène, André and Philippe and their families, and his brother-in-law David Harries and his family. There are extended family members and many friends who will miss him terribly. He was often the first guy up the mountain, the last guy to go to bed, and the loudest person in the room.
Many thanks to Dr. Canil, Dr. Fitzgibbon, Dr. Gupta and all of their colleagues for the excellent care provided. They left no stone unturned and we are truly grateful.
Family and friends are invited to a celebration of life at Beechwood Cemetery (280 Beechwood Avenue, Ottawa) at 1 p.m. on Friday, December 16.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Le fonds Jean Boutin Fund (https://www.ocf-fco.ca/fonds-jean-boutin-fund/). Tax receipts will be provided. Jean’s buddies set up this fund to honour his memory and the many sporting activities they did together over the decades. Through the Ottawa Community Foundation, funds collected will enable less fortunate families and children to participate in sporting activities, something that was very close to Jean’s heart.
Digital Guestbook
Jo-Anne Laporte et Marc Robert
Pierrette Rozon
Laura and family. I met Jean through work and always admired him his sense of joy, laughter and love of life. He will be certainly missed by all who knew him. May angels surround you in this time of great grief. He will be one of them (angel.
DOMINIQUE SIMARD
Je suis vraiment attristée d’apprendre le décès de Jean que j’ai bien connue a St-Donat. Toutes mes sincères condoléances a toute la famille.
Hélène Simard
Mes plus sincères condoléances à toute la famille de Jean, ainsi qu’à ses frères, à sa sœur Hélène et à sa maman Céline. Je garde des souvenirs impérissables de nos rencontres à St-Donat, au Lac Archambault. Bon dernier voyage, Jean!
Denis Begin
So sorry for your lost Jean was a great work colleague back in the day. My condolences to the family.
France Bergeron
Je suis très triste d'apprendre cette nouvelle. Je me souviendrais de sa joie de vivre et de sa gentillesse. Mes chaleureuses pensées vous accompagnent a vous et votre famille dans cette douloureuse épreuve. Sincères condoléances
Ralph Mahar & Sonja Matthys
We’re so very sorry to learn of Jean’s passing. His light shone bright and his energy, passion, joie de vivre, and contagious laugh were legendary. He was a generous & gifted trainer, and a dedicated employee who worked to a high standard. Any time spent with Jean at work made for a better day. Respect and sympathies to his loving family. He was an original, made a great contribution to Canada through his dedicated service and shall be truly missed… Repose en paix, Jean. ?
Claude Beaudet
Repose en paix mon ami
Manon Phaneuf
Jean a été un collègue apprécié, sa bonne humeur était contagieuse. Sincères condoléances.
Pat Tierney
Laura and family I am so sorry to hear of Jean's passing; please accept my condolences. You have many wonderful memories, so keep them close at hand. I too have been remembering. It's been many years since we first met, Jean being my French teacher. He will be happy to know I have a neighbour who cannot speak much English and my French has improved immensely. Jean and I became good friends during language training and he was such a wonderful teacher, I ended up hiring him to, of all things, teach computer courses. He always joked that he was 'our experiment' having no IT background, but being a great teacher. And it worked! Jean became a mainstay in the organization's computer training program, was always professional and most important, cared deeply about the systems we were creating for our business. God bless you Jean.
Nos sincères condoléances à la famille. Jean était un collègue de travail plein d'énergie, de dynamique et toujours souriant.