Jacques Raymond Sylvestre

Jacques Raymond Sylvestre passed away suddenly on December 31, 2025, at the age of 79.

Jacques was born on September 3, 1946, in McLennan, Alberta, the eighth of twelve children born to Cecile and Donat Sylvestre. He grew up on the family farm near Tangent, Alberta, where hard work, self-reliance, and practical skills were a way of life. From both parents Jacques learned the value of perseverance, curiosity, and doing a job properly - or not at all.

In 1970, Jacques married Darlene Van Koughnett, and together they raised two children, Nicole and Julien, while living in Niton, Alberta. After the marriage ended in the mid-1980s, Jacques moved to Edson, Alberta, a place that he would consistently call home for the remainder of his life. In 1994, he met Barb Ludwig, who became his partner and constant companion for more than 30 years. Barb’s children - Yvette, Devon, and Kate - became an integral part of Jacques’s daily life and extended family.

Family meant everything to Jacques. He remained closely connected with siblings, nieces, nephews, and extended relatives, attending reunions, weddings, and celebrations whenever possible. He was a devoted grandfather to Boden and Evan Sharman and Evelyn Pollard, always ready with time, patience, and a fishing rod. Many happy days were spent on the water - often at Obed

Lake - whether catching “the big one” or a bucket full of perch - in summer or winter ice fishing.

Jacques was truly a “jack of all trades.” He began working at a sawmill at just 17 years old and went on to build a decades-long career that spanned sawmills, mines, farms, oilfield work, contracting, and highway construction. He worked at a smelting mine in Ontario, on farms in southern Saskatchewan, at Luscar Sterco as one of the mine’s early employees, with Alberta Transportation and Highways as a foreman for 11 years, and later with various employers around the Edson area running heavy equipment. His favourite job, by far, was “driving cat,” which he proudly did from his teenage years until retirement at 65.

After retiring, Jacques poured his energy into what he loved most: creating, growing, and sharing. His enormous gardens produced hundreds of pounds of vegetables each year, feeding family, friends, and farmer’s market customers alike. His woodworking shop was filled with reclaimed pallet wood and half-finished projects - practical creations and clever designs he enjoyed reverse-engineering, even if the final details didn’t always matter to him. He was rarely seen without pockets full of screws, washers, keys, coins, pocketknives, sawdust, and dirt.

Music and games were central to Jacques’s life. He taught himself to play guitar in his 30s and became the soundtrack to countless family gatherings, campfires, and reunions. He recorded two albums in his later years, filled with favourite and frequently requested songs - many of them classic country, especially those by Stompin’ Tom Connors. He was known affectionately as “Stompin’ Jacques” in his close circles. He sang in both French and English, often adding a healthy dose of humour and silliness.

Jacques loved competition and play. Cornhole and horseshoes in the summer, slow-pitch softball in his younger years, and year-round cribbage, rummy, dice games, bowling, and puzzles filled his days. He invented his own game, “Spin-It,” complete with a handmade wooden wheel. He played hard, played to win, and had little patience for delays - tapping cards on the table to hurry others along, often with a sly smile that suggested he already knew the outcome. More often than not, he was right.

He excelled at whatever he put his mind to - hockey, bowling, horseshoes, fishing, gardening, and work itself. If he wasn’t good at something, he simply chose not to do it. Golf, for example, never stood a chance.

Jacques was known for his humour, corny jokes, and strong opinions - especially about cards, onions (the bigger the better), the phonetic alphabet, and the proper rules of slow-pitch baseball, which everyone should know by heart. He enjoyed “hunting” with his camera, capturing wildlife through the lens, repairing anything that needed fixing, and cooking - so long as cabbage, tomatoes, or turnips were not involved.

Above all, Jacques will be remembered for his work ethic, his ingenuity, his competitive spirit, his love of family, and the quiet generosity with which he shared his time, talents, vegetables, music, and laughter.

He will be deeply missed by his partner Barb Ludwig; his children Nicole (Chris) Sharman and Julien Sylvestre; Barb’s children Yvette, Devon, and Kate; his grandchildren Boden, Evan, and Evelyn; and by his many siblings, extended family, friends, and community members whose lives were enriched by knowing him.  

A gathering to celebrate Jacques’ life will be held in Spring 2026, with details to be announced at a later date.

Cremation has taken place, and interment will follow in Edson, Alberta. 

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