Paul Desmarais remembered: ‘Nobody will forget your love of life’
Business smarts made Paul Desmarais rich and powerful, but they barely got a mention at a commemoration ceremony in his honour at Notre-Dame Basilica.
Instead, his human qualities, artistic sensibilities and deep love of family were the recurring themes of Tuesday’s 90-minute tribute, which filled the Old Montreal church with beautiful music from Orchestre Métropolitain and heartfelt remembrances from friends and family.
“Not a day goes by that I don’t think of him,” said former French president Nicolas Sarkozy. “It will always be a source of pride for me to say I was his friend.”
Several Canadian prime ministers — including Stephen Harper — and former U.S. secretary of state James Baker joined Sarkozy in paying homage to Desmarais, who died two months ago at his Charlevoix estate at age 86.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/montreal/Paul+Desmarais+remembered+Nobody+will+forget+your+love/9243300/story.html
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