Obituary of Max Desjarlais

How do we even begin to pay tribute to a man like Max? His life was so full and he has been a true blessing to all who knew him. Max was a good man. Max Willie Desjarlais was the eldest child of James and Molly Desjarlais. He was born on March 6th, 1937 at Cameron Creek in West Moberly First Nations. Max was known to many people as Chechee, this means Big Brother, and it was first given to him by his sister Margaret. Today from all corners of homeland people call him Chechee, he was proud of this name. November 14, 1955 Max married Mary Island of Sturgeon Lake, AB. They were blessed with their first Child, a son George in 1955. Following closely behind George came three daughters and a son: Laura, Ruth, Elizabeth and Richard. When Max and his wife parted paths in 1963, Max's mother Molly took on a pivotal role in the children's lives. Mary moved to Vancouver and had a second family adding 4 more children, Lawrence, Warren, Marcella and Ronald. Max custom adopted these children and loved them as his own. He welcomed them into his life and celebrated their arrival into the family. Throughout the years Max's family grew with grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces and nephews. He gave his grandchildren special names and sang each their own song. He held his collection of little baby shoes most dearly. In his eyes, his greatest accomplishment was his grandchildren . He was so very proud of them and loved to brag about how many he had. He would always say to them "Do you know where you are?" and then he would take their hand and place it on his heart. Then ask them, "Where am I" and they would take his hand and place it on their heart. Love, was one thing Max did easily, he had a kind and forgiving heart and was always willing to lend a helping hand. As many of you know, in his younger years Max had a wild and crazy side. Max worked hard, played hard and he loved to rodeo. But his drinking gave his Mother endless worry. So, for the sake of his Mother, Max took his last bottle of whiskey and poured it down the sink. He never had another drink - that was 19 years ago. Years later, he did the same thing with his cigarettes and quit just like that, he had incredible willpower. They say in order to find our path we must recognize the enemy - the enemy within ourselves. And in knowing this, Max found his strength and he gave credit where credit was due, to the Creator. Max cleaned up his life and began focusing on his spiritual growth, sharing and teaching the things his father taught him. Much of Max's work was in the bush, one of his jobs was working for Pete & Paul Demeulemeester, he spent 27 years working for them and they became like family to all of us, even to this day. He always spoke of the times he spent working with them and many of his good friends from the Lake with a smile on his face, he would say those were some of the best times of his life. Max was a skilled hunter and trapper and he loved the bush. He was thrilled when his grandsons and some of the young boys in the community showed an interest in trapping and he was happy to teach them the tricks of the trade. He taught traditional ways, and respect for the land to all of his children, grandchildren and to the children and youth of Moberly Lake. His desire to make sure the there was something left for the kids, drove him to become a spokesman for environmental issues in the territory. Max also spent over 20 years on Council for West Moberly, in those days there was no pay cheque, it was mostly volunteer work but he did it with dedication and commitment. His love for West Moberly was evident as he worked side by side with the late Chief John Dokkie to fight for our land and for our people to have a good life. For the past 14 years Max worked for Landsong doing what he loved, taking care of the land. His environmental work always ensured that consideration was given to our culture and heritage. Beth and Max became good friends and Beth relied on Max in much of her work, she became his little sister and up till his last days he said take care of my sissy's. He was always ready to stand up for the environment, he showed his support by attending events and gathering and opening and closing many meetings with his powerful prayer. His prayers were always from his heart and many times he could not control the emotion he felt. One of the last interviews he did was to voice his objection to Site C. His involvement at the annual Paddle for the Peace event was something that he didn't take lightly and it was hard for him not be there for this year's event. He would say "you guys have to keep fighting it no matter what, don't ever say your beat, keep fighting it". His interview and advise to the Lands Department regarding the Caribou case was instrumental in the victory of that case. West Moberly Lands will miss his advice and his laughter. Max always tried to attend gatherings, he loved seeing people, and visiting. Playing hand games, drumming and singing were his passions. He always wanted to share, he wanted his stories told and his songs to be learnt by the young people, but it was important for him to know that these things would not be used in the wrong way and that you should only learn them if you can respect and honour them. He said the songs were like prayers, and prayers give us the help we need when we are going through a rough time. In his last days Max & his "Sissy" Margaret, that's what he called her, spent a lot of fun times together, they were inseparable everywhere Margaret went Max was there. One of their favourite things to do was playing bingo. Everyone at the Bingo hall called him Chechee and they loved him because he made them laugh and he was a friend to everyone. Max & Margaret also loved driving around in the bush. Max also loved quading and when he was still well enough would go out daily to check the beavers at the creek or see if he could track a moose. Max was a gentle loving soul, always willing to forgive, to love and to share what he had. It takes a lot of love to be gentle, being gentle has nothing to do with ego, gentleness is the weapon of a true Warrior, a Peaceful Warrior...this was Max...our father...our friend...our Chechee. Max was called home to be with the Creator on Wednesday, August 3,2011 in Chetwynd, BC at the age of 74 years. A Wake was held on Tuesday, August 9, 2011 at 7:00 pm at the Dunne-Za Lodge, West Moberly, BC. A Funeral service was held on Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 11:00 am at the Dunne-Za Lodge, West Moberly. Fr. Vener Sabocan officiated. Interment followed in the West Moberly Cemetery. Max is survived by his sister; Margaret Campbell, Uncle; Leo Courtorielle, Sons; George Desjarlais (Darcy), Richard Desjarlais (Debbie), Warren Desjarlais, Lawrence Desjarlais, Ron Walters, Daughters; Laura Webb (Jim), Eli Nelson (Tom), Marcella Williams (Scott), Nephew; Bryan Desjarlais, Nieces; Diane Abel, Linda Campbell, Ruby Campbell (Mark), adopted family friend; Beth Hrychuck, Grandchildren; Rocky, Sandra, Melody, Kimberly, Kelly, Rusty, James, Steven, Tenille, Jade, Sonja, Ryan, Sussy, Chip, Thomas, Ashley, Brian, Gordon, Shaylene, Katherine, Susanna, Mary, Tyron, Tylin, Brandi, Wynter, Jimmie, Tyler, Lloyd, John, Denae, Danyel, Rayna, Billy, Shayna, Max, Gavin, Great-Grandchildren; Harmony, Daniel, Jorin, Keegan, Jene, Emma, Teena, Zach, Warner, Lexy, Echo, Rainbow, Hunter, Lucian, Nathaniel, Tyla, Ninah, Piper, Brenyn, Corbin, Nikita, Sebastian, Lillea, Molly, Jazmine, Lukus, CJ, Damian, Zoe, Abigail, Alex, Aubrey, Aaliyah, Seth, Darius, Aiden, Shayden, Sierra, Kiana,Tayzen, Star, Shay, MISSING BABY, Ayres, Numerous cousins, adopted family, relatives and friends. He was predeceased by his wife; Mary Desjarlais, Parents; James & Molly Desjarlais, Daughter; Ruth Desjarlais, Brothers; Edward, Allan, & Franklin Desjarlais, Grandchildren; George Jr., Baby Gilbert.