Our beloved father Jean-Jacques Deschênes passed away peacefully on May 13, 2025 at the age of 93. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Elisabeth (Betty).

He was born in Shawinigan, Québec on February 19, 1932; the first of three sons to Gilberte and Thomas Deschênes. In his childhood, his grandmother instilled in him a lifelong passion for the piano. While he was initially uncertain about what he wanted to do professionally, he found his calling in insurance as an actuary while working for Sun Life. From 1958-1961 he managed the transfer of a variety of actuarial functions to their first two computers. He eventually rose to the executive ranks first with Sun Life and then with North American Life where he stayed until retirement.

Jacques and Betty first met in Montreal while commuting to their mutual employer, SunLife, and bonded over their appreciation for family and continued to share this throughout their long and happy marriage. In addition to being a loving husband, devoted father, and dedicated to his career, Jacques also found time to pursue a surprising number of hobbies which included film making, astronomy, competitive chess, marathon running, cooking, knitting, learning languages and authoring his autobiography as well as children’s stories.

He leaves behind his children Stéphane (Linda) and Christiane (Lorenzo), Grandchildren Joseph, Marc, Brandon, Philip and Sebastien.

A private burial will be held on May 23, 2025.
All friends and family are welcome to attend his celebration of life in late June (details to be provided at a later date.)