Kenora Great War Project

 

Personal Details
Date of BirthMarch 18, 1889
Place of BirthRM of Cartier, Manitoba
CountryCanada
Marital StatusSingle
Next of KinMrs. Alfred Poirier, mother, General Delivery, Kenora, Ontario
Trade / CallingPainter and Paper Hanger
ReligionRoman Catholic
Service Details
Regimental Number473104
Service RecordLink to Service Record
Battalion65th Battalion
ForceCanadian Expeditionary Force
BranchCanadian Infantry
Enlisted / ConscriptedEnlisted
Place of EnlistmentPrince Albert, Saskatchewan
Date of EnlistmentJuly 20, 1915
Age at Enlistment26
Theatre of ServiceCanada
Death Details
Date of DeathFebruary 5, 1940
Age at Death50
Buried AtLake of the Woods Cemetery, Kenora, Ontario

Poirier, Joseph Alfred Cyprion

Joseph Alfred Cyprien (Joe) Poirier was born on 18 March 1889, birth registered in the RM of Cartier, Manitoba. His parents, Alfred Alphonse (Frederick/Fred) Poirier and Marie Helene Bernadette Brulé were both from Quebec. The family farmed in southeastern Manitoba, with Joe in later life giving his place of birth as St Agathe. For the 1891 census the family was listed in St Norbert and by the time of the 1901 census they were living at the Mikado Mine on Lake of the Woods near present day Kenora. From there they relocated to Kenora where Fred found work as a railway fireman. Sadly he passed away in 1907 and is interred in the Lake of the Woods Cemetery. Known children born to the family were Albina (1878, married Octave Dufresne, died 1930 Saskatchewan), Rosanna (1879, married Emery Larocque, died 1928, Pinewood, Ontario), Antoinette (1881, married Alfred Larocque, died 1934 Fort Frances, Ontario), Marie Louise Aurelie (1882, married William Dixon, died 1924, Lake of the Woods Cemetery), Laura Aurore (1884, married Daniel Cadieux, died 1912, Kenora), Berthe Marie (1886, married George Turpin), Joseph, Marie Helene (1891, married Oscar Martin, died 1964 Lake of the Woods Cemetery), Joseph Aime (1893-1974, Lake of the Woods Cemetery), Marie Rosa Florida (1895, married Gustave Sjaholm, died 1987, Lake of the Woods Cemetery), and Alfred Joseph (1898-1985, Lake of the Woods Cemetery).

At some point Joe moved out to Saskatchewan. On 20 July 1915, in Prince Albert, he enlisted with the 65th Battalion, CEF. His date of birth was given as 16 March 1889, occupation as painter and paper hanger, and his mother Mrs. Alfred Poirier in Kenora as next of kin. Joe did not sail with the unit and his service record is incomplete. According to a notation in his record, he served in Canada, reaching the rank of Lieutenant. Discharge papers were not in his file.

While in Prince Albert, Joe married Marie Adeline Lacroix. Born on 2 June 1887 in Winnipeg, Marie was the daughter of Henry Lacroix and Rose Descoteau. Her parents had married in 1880 in Sarnia. The family first lived in the Woodlands area in southeastern Manitoba before moving to Prince Albert were Henry opened a blacksmith and farm implements shop and later a hardware store.

After the war Joe and Marie moved to Kenora, with Joe working as a town constable for the 1921 census. They later moved out to Alexander Island on Lake of the Woods where Joe operated a general store/trading post and also worked as a commercial fisherman. Around 1932 daughter Marie Suzanne joined the family.

Joe died on 5 February at his home on Alexander Island. As his death was deemed due to his WW1 service, his wife Marie was entitled to receive the Silver Cross. At the time of his death he was survived by his wife and daughter Suzanne as well as brothers Aime and Fred and sisters Helene, Berthe, and Florida. His mother Marie had died the previous April and is interred in the Lake of the Woods Cemetery.

By the end of the decade, Adeline and Suzanne moved out to Vancouver where Suzanne worked as a school teacher. In August of 1959 Suzanne married Michael Ternes. Marie died on 28 March 1964 in Vancouver. At the time of her death she was survived by Suzanne and family and five brothers.

Joe and Marie are interred in the Lake of the Woods Cemetery in Kenora.

By Judy Thorburn