Lise Julie Bérubé

LISE JULIE BÉRUBÉ, August 17, 1981 - July 11, 2024

Lise died peacefully at home at the age of 42. She was comfortable in her bed, the same bed where her daughter Maëlle was born nine years ago, surrounded by her loving family and close friends.

Lise is survived by her husband, Chris Brandt, and their children Benoit and Maëlle; loving parents Marianne Gareau and Pierre Bérubé (Mary); and her sister Élène Bérubé (Patrick, Samuel and Julien). Lise is also survived by her close community of best friends and their children.

Lise firmly believed that when you die from cancer, it does not mean that you lose to cancer; she believed that you beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and the manner in which you live.

And, oh did she have a great life.

Lise was born in Edmonton, Alberta, into a large, loving,extended francophone family. Outgoing and adventurous from a young age, Lise was always excited to try new activities, including competitive rope-skipping, volleyball, soccer, horseback riding, skiing, and exploring the outdoors. She always surrounded herself with many friends and had a gift for forging life-long relationships and creating beautiful communities.

She graduated from high school from École Maurice-Lavallée in 1999, obtained her B.A. from Queen’s University in 2003, and her Master’s in Dispute Resolution from the University of Victoria in 2008. After graduating, she worked in the education and health fields, focusing on supporting others and advocating for youth and patients. Lise was brilliant, capable and was devoted to building meaningful relationships to foster effective and systemic change. She was passionate about her education and work but would often pause them at the drop of a hat if it meant embarking on an adventure and travelling to a new corner of the world, which she did many times.

She met the love of her life, Chris, through mutual friends in 2008. Together, they embarked on many adventures, travelling extensively and living and working in Toronto for two years before returning to Victoria in 2012. They got married on Pender Island and welcomed their son Benoit in 2013 and daughter Maëlle in 2015. As a family, they lived a full and fun life filled with adventures, travel, and friends, and they spent many weekends camping, skiing, hiking, biking, swimming, and playing at the beach.

Lise was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2016. In November 2018, she learned that the cancer had progressed to stage IV. She approached her diagnosis with courage and strength, contributing to and creating a meaningful community focused on helping others. She advocated fiercely for the rights of metastatic cancer patients, a population that is largely underfunded in cancer research and often goes unrecognized. She held numerous volunteer positions, including with BC Cancer’s Regional Patient Experience Committee.

Lise found great comfort in the loving and supportive community fostered by Callanish, a Vancouver-based non-profit organization that creates a healing space for people who have been irrevocably changed by cancer ( www.callanish.org ). Since 2018, in the midst of ongoing cancer treatments and numerous surgeries, Lise has inspired so many to “move because you can.” She performed extraordinary feats, running marathons and biking long distances to raise over $500,000 for Callanish.

Lise loved life and a good party. She made everything fun. She was vivacious, dazzlingly funny, had boundless energy, and the best and biggest laugh in any room. She was also pragmatic, well-organized, thoughtful, and profoundly insightful and perceptive. Lise was an unparalleled wife and friend. Above all, she loved her children Benoit and Maëlle fiercely and she remained devoted and focused on them until the very end.

We will remain profoundly touched by her unconditional love, energy, and joie de vivre.

Lise’s celebration of life will be held on August 17th at 1:30 p.m. at the Naden Wardroom, CFB Esquimalt, Victoria. Please confirm your attendance by emailing cmagnan@uottawa.ca before August 1st.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to Callanish through this link: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/callanish-healing-retreats-society/p2p/TeamCallanish2024/team/lises-angels-ride-for-callanish/captain/lises-angels-ride-for-callanish