Ever since the horrific accident that killed their two only daughters, Émilie, 18, and Rachelle, 20, in 1998, Bibiane Poulin and Eugène Marceau had promised each other that they would one day memorialize their memory, which is just becoming reality with the installation of a became a memorial along Route 277.
“We thought about it for a long time, but we waited for the end of the work to make the road safe and now, after almost 25 years of fighting, it’s done,” says Ms. Poulin at the site of the memorial, which takes place for a few weeks between Saint-Henri and Saint-Anselme.
It will be almost 25 years, on March 19th, since the couple’s life has only moved a few steps away. Rachelle and Émilie were on their way to the Collège Notre-Dame de Foy, which Rachelle was attending, when their car skidded and hit a heavy truck. Due to weather conditions and the misconfiguration of a deadly road, they had no chance of getting out.
“With this memorial, the girls’ mother explains, people can say that little Marceaus are still there, instead of saying that they had an accident. We turn our hearts to the future, we lift our eyes to heaven, and we move on smoothly with our lives. »
The couple wanted a job that was as gentle as their daughters, with heart. “I like to say that thanks to this monument, they don’t wink at us, they wink at us,” says Ms. Poulin. The latter also emphasizes the importance of organ donation, which this tragedy made her aware of, in order to save other lives.
Photo provided by family
Émilie and Rachelle, who died in a road accident in 1998.
united community
After this tragedy, the entire socio-economic milieu of Bellechasse united through the Action-Security Committee 173-277, chaired by Marcel Morin. Mrs Poulin is full of praise for all her efforts and support.
The latter’s daughter, Mélina, was a close friend of Émilie’s, having spent the evening with them the day before the tragedy. The Marceau’s had also been his students, in high school, and had been part of the midshipman corps he led. He loved her like his own daughters.
“These two young sisters were the source of everything. They have always been present in my heart, also in the hearts of the people around me, to make it noble and bigger than oneself, so that it doesn’t happen again and that it saves lives. »
It therefore took a lot of time and perseverance to achieve the goal desired by the municipality, namely the repair of a dangerous road. Between 100 and 125 people are said to have died on the 277, often young people, and many injured, who still have serious consequences from their accidents today.
For Mr. Morin, the monument to the Marceau sisters “represents one of the noblest gestures of parental love that I have seen in my life, it touched me very much”, he expresses, noting that the couple is very present at the activities was of the committee.
“They have always put themselves at the service of the cause and their daughters, even if it has always stung them,” he testifies. I told them: don’t come if it hurts too much, but they were there. »
commitment to victims
Work to widen the road, which has been expanded from two lanes to four lanes, was completed last summer amid the pandemic and after investments of around 125 million. Tree plantations now block strong winds, then the various exits and roadsides have been secured.
On June 29, Saint-Henri will host a grand recognition ceremony to highlight the contribution of many citizens, elected officials and business people. A piece of art commemorating all the victims will also be unveiled at this time.
