It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our mother, Estella “Dolly” Chicoine, at the age of 76, on September 22nd, 2023. Born in Timmins, Ontario, on June 8th, 1947, Estella spent her life traveling and teaching, settling in Kirkland Lake. Estella began her teaching career at Queen Elizabeth Public School in 1968. She also taught at King George and Federal Public School for many years. Estella loved to crochet, craft, sing, swim, travel, go for coffee and spend time with her grandchildren.
Estella was predeceased by her parents William and Marguerite Chicoine. She leaves behind her older brother, Vincent (Norma) of London, ON, and older sister, Shirley Richens, of Timmins, ON, as well as many cousins and nieces. And finally, Reg Brand, her former husband and the father of her children.
Cherished mother of Tyler (Melanie), Raymond (Nicky Gagnon), Kelly (Luc Daviau), and Katie (Aaron Minor). Beloved grandmother to Mia, Riven, Lucy, Danica, Charlie and Henry. Adopted mom to many family friends and former students.
Estelle, Dolly, Ms. Chicoine, Mrs. Brand, Brandzilla, Mom, Aunt Brat, Momma, Ma, Grandma
She went by many names and filled many roles.
Perhaps her most fulfilling role was mother. Whether you were one of her students, a friend of her children, or some other soul she connected with, at some point you likely heard her say, “You can call me mom”.
She loved wholeheartedly. Her entire self was poured into her passions. What she loved most was teaching. Not teaching in the sense of instructing or informing. It was the connection. It came from her outpouring of love. She brought her entire class to our house for turkey dinner. Not to brag about her cooking skills or her picturesque home, but because she knew it may be the only big meal many of her students would have for the holidays. If she taught you, you were her kid. And she tried teaching everyone she encountered, whether they wanted to hear the lessons or not. She told it like it was, not to criticize or call you out, but because she cared. She loved.
A Celebration of Life will be held in the Northern College cafeteria on Saturday, October 7th, 2023 from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. All are welcome. To honour Mom, we will be wearing an item in her favourite colour, blue.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Estella’s memory can be made to Federal Public School, 80 Tweedsmuir, Kirkland Lake, P2N 1J5, Attn: Breakfast Program.
On Behalf of the Royal Canadian Legion Ladies Auxiliary Br87 we would like to extend our condolences to you and your Family. Dolly so enjoyed helping out with our monthly shop and stops as well as attending our monthly meetings. Dolly brought her knowledge and some good advice to our meetings. RIP Dolly, you will be missed.
I am so sorry to hear of the passing of your mother, sister and friend.
Estelle was my grade four teacher at Queen Elizabeth school, she was a great teacher, she was kind, caring, and funny.
I used to see her around Kirkland once in a while and she still remembered me.
My sincere condolences in the loss of your dear Mother.
My deepest sympathy's go out to all of you.... your mom sure was a special person to so many people and children including my daughter Ashley she was like a second mom to her for sure.... sending big hugs to all of you
My sincere sympathy for the loss of your mother.
My deepest sympathies for the loss of your dear Mother,Grandmother,Wife & Siblings..May she rest in peace
My deepest sympathies go out to all the family. What can I say, but that she really was an amazing person. She was my teacher in Queen E. over fifty years ago and I still have the fondness of memories. If she disciplined you, it’s because she loved you and wanted the best life for you. When she made a trip to Japan, she wanted her children to experience it as well. She wore the traditional kimono out fit to school along with slides and little gift. It was a great experience for me, along with great memories that went with it. Then she had us all do a project on Japan, and not to brag but I ended up with the highest grade and a prize, a beautiful Japanese doll. I will miss her but I will always have my memories as I know you’s will have your own also. My thoughts are with all of you’s at this time. Sincerely Phylis Cholette.
I am extremely heartbroken to hear of Dolly's passing
Sending you all my sincere sympathy ️
Rest Easy Dolly, you will be so missed ️
Our condolences on your Mom’s passing. She was an amazing lady.
Such beautiful words to describe such an amazing woman. You were truly lucky to have her as a mom. And she was truly blessed to be your mom. Wishing you comfort at this time.
Xo
We are very sad to hear of your moms sudden passing, we have many memories of shared happy times together.
You will all have great memories to hold onto, she will be with you always.
I’m sorry to hear about your loss. My thoughts are with you at this sad time.
Our heartfelt sympathy on the loss of our good friend. She will be greatly missed. Thinking of you all.
Condolences to the Family at this very sad and difficult time...Estelle was one Special Girl, always a story and a smile...so sorry for her unfortunate timely death.
I am so very sorry for your loss. Miss Chicoine was my grade 4 teacher at Queen Elizabeth in 1973. What a year! We produced the school newspaper (one edition for the year) Huge job in those days. I was the "Editor in Chief". I still have a copy of that project. We had a class guninea pig named Lightning. A the end of the school year I was honored to be ablt to go to Miss Chicoine's apartment to help move him there to be best friends with her Budgie Pebbles. What a memory! It has stayed with me so many years. I was blessed t have had some amazing teachers. But she wil always stand out as the absolute best.
First off my deepest condolences to her family. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Miss Chicoine was my grade 4 teacher,at Queen E. One of the best I ever had , she made learning fun and I looked forward to going to school each and every day she taught me. She was one of those special teachers that you never forgot. I have many special memories from being in her class may she R.I.P.
Sending my deepest condolences to all of you .. Mrs. Brand was my Grade 4 teacher at Queen E . and was one of my favourite teachers .. I have a fond memory to share .. when I was in her class in Grade 4 , there was myself and one other boy that were both left-handed .. Mrs. Brand tried teaching us to use our right hand instead .. she succeeded with him , but I was a true left-hander and couldn't do it .. and the funny thing was is that she was left-handed herself .. that memory makes me smile each time I think of her .
Rest in Peace Mrs. Brand .. you will be deeply missed .
Please accept our condolences on the loss of your mother/grandmother .
I will remember Mrs. Brand with fond memories from Federal Pubic School days where she taught my sister and the other children in special education. She helped children believe in themselves and taught them in their own unique and individual way. She lifted and guided those that may have believed in themselves. She taught me how to tell time on an analog clock and the best way to solve search-a-word puzzles. It was her one-on-one teaching and wonderful ways of having students feel special. Her kindness, determination and compassion made her a wonderful person and she helped shape the lives of many. May you rest in peace Mrs. Brand
Sincere sympathy on the loss of your Mom(and the many other roles she had). Occasionally we stopped to chat and she seemed to always be going to someone’s aid.
My heartfelt condolences to all of you. Dolly was a lifelong friend, growing up in Schumacher. Our mothers were best friends. Even though we didn’t see or hear from each other often, when we did connect it was just like old times. She will be missed! My thoughts and prayers are with you all during this very difficult time! ️. Rest in peace, my friend; until we meet again!
I am so sorry to hear of Estella’s passing. I taught with her at Q.E. and Federal. She was an excellent teacher and a wonderful friend. She will be deeply missed.
Our deepest sympathies for the loss of your dear mother. I was fortunate to work with Estelle for many years. She was a devoted and compassionate teacher who impacted the lives of her many students. Treasure your dear memories of her.
Doug & Chris McFadgen
How to say goodbye to such a caring person. She was always thinking of others. We saw this first hand when she organized a welcome to KL for our cottage season every year. We had so much fun swimming, chatting and then off to McDonald’s afterwards. The phones came out with pictures and stories of the grandchildren.
She will be missed and I can’t picture KL without her.
Hugs to all of you and hold on to the many memories.
Irene and Gary Krupa
Sincere condolences to Dolly’s family ,Vincent and Shirley.
Dolly was like the sister I never had! Our parents were very close friends and so we ended up calling ourselves cousins, even if not by blood. Our families spent many great times together and as we grew and developed our own lives and families, we continued to stay connected and spent many memorable years of great times with our own children and families. Twenty years ago Dolly introduced me to my husband, Don, and we were married three years later. From the time my son, Phillip, was born 35 years ago, Dolly was his "Nuther Mother" and she treated him like her own "kid". Shirley, Vincent & Families and the Whole Brand Clan, we send our heartfelt sympathies to you all and will miss Dolly terribly. May her memories be a blessing to us all and let light pertual shine upon her and give her peace. Love and hugs to all (Aunt) Judy, Don and Phillip
Please accept my deepest condolences.
I grew up with Dolly in Schumacher and we were in school together in our early years. I remember her fondly and am saddened by this news.
Sincerely, Bettyanne (Mangotich) Plaskett
So very sorry to hear of Dolly's passing. She was a very good neighbour/friend as I grew up next to her on the Goldale Road. She, along with her Mom and sister Shirley walked me to church on Sundays. They also babysat me and my brother. Absolutely awesome family.
Shocked to know that the phone calls have ended. We chatted over the years and bragged about grandkids and of course where to travel and our next endeavors. So sorry such a personality is lost. The world needed her. I will miss my friend. I am sorry the family will have a big hole in it. Enjoy your wings and fly high my friend.
I would like to extend my sincere sympathy to all of you in the loss of your mother, friend, and grandma. I never met Estella personally, but my sister and I have known Reg our whole lives, and he always spoke with of her with great fondness. We grew up with all the Brand children who lived just up the street. Lorraine was my best friend for many years and Reg was my sister’s best friend. They still keep in touch. I will be thinking of you and I hope that you will get through this, but the important thing to remember is to be there for each other.
My apologies but I will be out of town for Estella's Celebration of Life. I would very much have wanted to be there. I taught with your mother for many years at Federal School and your description of her was very accurate. She would have been very pleased that donations in her memory would be going to the Breakfast Program. She did love her kids (her school kids and her own).
So very sorry to hear of your Moms passing.
Deepest sympathy and hugs to all of you.
My deepest condolences on your loss she was a great person and will be greatly missed by all who knew her
My deepest condolences on your loss she was a great person and will be greatly missed by all who knew her
I can’t imagine what you are going through as it is such a shock to me:(
Your description of Miss Chicoine, is so her!!
I still remember her as my teacher at Queen Elizabeth. We loved hanging out with her at lunch and she let us...!
We used to go to the corner store and buy jube jubes for her at lunch. They were ONE calorie each and she would tell us they are a perfect weight watcher treat! Loved her kindness and her uniqueness.
My mother was a teacher too and over the years our families got to know each other well. Tyler was my first babysitting job. So sweet and easy going. Great experience.
I moved away but over the years every time we saw each other it was wonderful to catch up.
That wedding picture is just so precious and so beautiful! I'm glad you have those wonderful memories and I'm glad for mine as well.
Thinking of you in this time of sorrow and hope your memories will soften the blow. Hugs
Andrea Boston
To Tyler, Kelly, Katie and Raymond,
Dolly and I shared a profession closely related to words. I’d always wondered how she got the name Dolly from Estella Dorothy Fay until I started writing this note to you. As a young parent when Sesame Street came on the air, I became a fan of Letterman. Now I see clearly to me it’s origin, take the Do of Dorothy the two l’s of Estella and the Y from Fay and it’s all there.
Dolly always had a quirky sense of humour that she really displayed on one of our family roadside picnics. When we stopped to setup, Dad noticed one of the tires was going flat. As Dad was changing it, Dolly quipped “Wouldn’t it be funny if they all went flat!” Dad was not amused. Being the middle child meant doing things that only one or the other of my sisters liked was typical. While Mom would be at an ACW meeting or PTA and Dad was sound asleep on the couch, Dolly and I would be busy transforming the kitchen floor into a miniature streetscape with chalk roads for our toy cars. Shirley was not amused.
As well as sharing a love of teaching with Dolly, we also shared a love of Gardening. Although we didn’t share the same climate, the shorter growing season meant she tried harder to do the right things for her plants. But most of all we shared a love and respect for our children and the importance of a good education. This started with our Mom’s regular trips to the library in Schumacher and to the many music concerts that we attended with her over our childhood.
DOLLY HAD MANY LOVES!
In loving memory Your Uncle Vince.
My most sincere condolences to the family.
From being one of the most amazing teachers I had at Queenie, to understanding my sons learning disabilities that she taught him to read and told me every time we met that she still hangs the angel on her tree from him every year.
Definitely one of a kind and a beautiful lady that will never be forgotten by many.
Sorry for your loss Ray and family, from all of us, Chan family.
When my whole family heard of this we were devistated and our sympathy goes to your whole family.
Sorry we cannot make it there for the celebration. We hope to one day make our way to KL to properly say our condolences to the whole family.
The one memory that I will always remember is when I was younger and I spent time at your home sleep overs, your mom would come to the room while we were sleeping and played Tetris on your tv. You can hear her enjoyment in playing this game and at times hear her frustration too.
I will definitley miss her smile and energy whenever we met up with your parents.
Takes good care everyone; we are all here for you if you need us.
Mrs. Brand was one of my fondest memories of my time in Federal School (back in the 90s). She was the one who showed me how magical theatre could be! I still remember my first role as a robot. Rest peacefully Mrs. Brand. You were a phenomenal person!
