Chelsea Lynn Dufresne
March 15th, 2022
“Death is not the opposite of life but an innate part of life.”
Haruki Murakami
We are all saddened to announce the sudden passing of our beautiful Chelsea. She was predeceased by her father Michael Robert Dufresne. She leaves behind to mourn her son Michael “Jude” Dufresne; her mother Lynda Bankley; her sister Desiree Dufresne and her children Lynden Hill, Genevieve Dufresne and Lakelyn Dufresne; and close friends Roman Corkery and Shukri Ghremida. She also leaves behind her Prada purse, collection of gorgeous scarves, tropical plants and sweet dog Pierre.
Chelsea was brave and weathered many storms. She was kind and always had comforting words to lift the spirits of others. She was compassionate and nonjudgmental and understood that each of us is on our own journey. She was generous with her time, joy and spirit.
Chelsea had an extraordinary capacity to make people laugh; she could make fun of you and still have you in tears laughing. She had exceptional and diverse taste in music. She could recall lyrics to every song she heard. When she was 17, she had her own time slot on an independent radio station. Her eclectic taste in music can be found on Spotify; her profile name is The Realest. We don’t have her Spotify password but we will try to keep her account active.
Chelsea was brilliant and innovative. She was one of the first to start texting and once she started, she never stopped! Each one of us can confirm this, as we already miss her relentless text messages. She had style, flair and was extremely creative. She was an old soul and the energy in her home reflected her love of eclectic books, pictures and items that truly demonstrated her uniqueness.
She loved online shopping and most of the Wish.com items she purchased received hilarious reviews from her. Her reading wasn’t restricted to online reviews though. She was an avid reader and had a vast collection of books. Her favourite author was Haruki Murakami.
She had a newfound interest in horticulture and had developed quite the green thumb (she loved that expression). I can’t think of one person who didn’t drive her somewhere to purchase a plant. That’s right; she didn’t drive so we were always driving Chelsea. Going for long drives was Chelsea’s way of connecting and spending time with people.
She had such joie de vivre and an intuitive way of making people feel comfortable in her presence. Chelsea had an abundance of friends, each of whom was affected by her in a profound way. Chelsea loved her friends and family. She was always taking pictures. She also took amazing selfies. Since we can’t access her iPhone, she just gave the noun selfie an entirely new meaning.
By far, her greatest love and most significant accomplishment was her son Jude, whom she loved with all her heart. We will all grieve the profound loss of our precious Chelsea and her family and friends will carry her in their hearts forever. Our only comfort is knowing that heaven must have needed an angel.
An outdoor service will be held in the summer of 2022.
In lieu of flowers, please share your passwords with your loved ones.
Messages:
I am shocked and saddened to learn of Chelsea’s passing. We had fallen out of contact with each other this winter as I moved to Grande Prairie, but our history goes back several years. I wish I could’ve been there for her again when she needed help most. Be at peace now Chelsea, just like my late brother, the sun will set for you.
I am so sorry for your loss and I am deeply saddened by the news of Chelsea’s passing. From the moment I met Chelsea almost 10 years ago I was drawn in by her beauty and spirit and I knew there was something special about her. I am so glad I was able to get to know her. I will miss you and will always love you Chelsea. See you again one day.
will miss you most
Rest easy Chelsea. May your momma, sister and Jude find peace and comfort in the memories you left behind.
Chelsea - you had such a fierce devotion to your little man...Jude. You worked so hard to ensure he had what he needed. You gave him love, comfort, laughs and safety. I hope he has the feisty spirit of his mother so he will do well in this world - which is what you so wanted for him. You will be missed girl by many...you left an impact for sure. Rest well Chelsea!
I've known you for 6 years or so and it hasn't felt so little of time until now, if I knew it would have been so short I would have spent more time with you, but the talks and time we did have were always wonderful, you always had something to say to help me with whatever it was I was going though, you helped me see that I was worth more then I was being led to believe, I needed to hear all those things...it truly was a privilege to be your friend dear, it was such a shock to hear that you had gone, I bawled my eyes out at least once everyday so far realizing I wont be able to hear your voice or have you tell me something interesting, to distract me out of a bad mood or the fact not many people are as intelligent as you, and I really enjoyed speaking with someone who understood so many topics and areas in life's experiences, you were an old soul indeed, and I'm sure I'll see you in the next life, people like you aren't gone forever, that energy definitely will not be lost... I know it's selfish of me to say this but we still needed you here now, i never once thought you had any alternative motive or that you could possibly betray my trust in anyway and i needed that realness. Without it i'd think the whole world was no longer worth anything, I'll never forget you! I'll Love you always my beautiful soft hearted, real friend......see you later alligator
Beautiful write up for a beautiful person. I remember you making me feel safe at night. You were always looking out for everyone. You will always be missed. You were a real cool cousin, and I can't wait to check out Haruki Murakami. Love you.
Only knew Chelsea for a short amount of time, but her sarcastic sense of humour always made me laugh. I think the biggest the most admirable thing I learned about Chelsea during my time spent with her was her commitment to being the best mother she could. She would do any research, read any books and overall just learn as much as she could to be the most effective parent and understand how to respond to every one of Jude’s needs. It was clear Chelsea’s approach to being a mother could be explained as nothing less than a passion. Jude was the most important thing in her life by far.
I didn't have the privillage of really getting to know Chelsea closely, the one thing I do know for certain that she was the aunt to my youngest daughter and she loved her very much. I also what I know is that she was always nice to me and would talk to me like I was someone she had always known, and just made it seem like we hadn't seen each other in a long time. Maybe she was right perhaps we saw each other in another lifetime, and maybe we will see each other in the next one as well, and perhaps in the next one I will have the honour of knowing her before she is gone. I know that there is one thing for certain, and it's that Chelsea has left her mark on so many souls on this earth. And everyday I learn more and more of the kind of soul she was and is. What an intelligent, funny, charismatic being she was in her time here. And I always say its not what you did with your time on this earth, it's the impact you have on the people around you that you will always be remembered by, how she was able to light up your heart even if hers was burning dim, that is a rare gift and a Chelsea will be very much missed .
Jude, I wanted to write to you in hopes that one day you will get the opportunity to read this. I met your momma when I was just a young girl and I was immediately drawn to her energy. She has always been the type of person that people just wanted to be around. She’s so incredibly hilarious, vibrant, outgoing, kind and if you were in her presence you were having an absolutely riot of a time. Your family became and stayed my family throughout the years (I believe about 26 years) As we grew into adults we lost touch with one another but every once in awhile we would cross paths and it was like not a single day had gone by. My heart was always full and my eyes often filled with tears of laughter when your mom was around. I love that so much about her. If you were in her life, you were in her life for good. We are all sending you love. Take care of your grandma, aunt and cousins and just know that, no matter where you are, your momma is always with you and will always be proud of you. Love, Brandi
I can only speak to the Strength of the LOVE Mike (Her dad) had for her. How he jumped through hoops to connect with me only to share his joy of each of his children birth and now Chelsea’s spirit will soar with him.
Chelsea, you impacted my life in ways you'll never know. Your laughter, intellect and the way you made sure everyone around you felt welcome wherever you were was truly amazing. The love you showed Jude was such a joy to be around as well. I'm so glad to have met you and got to know you as deeply as I did. Love you so so much, I'll see you again on the other side. Until then flow with powers that be and feel free to visit me in my dreams. Love you
I may have been your older sister, but I looked up to you. It’s comforting to know that you’re now at peace with dad. I love you more then words
I’ve read our messages over and over, will miss your laughter and the random moments we have shared over the years. You will forever be missed by all who love you, and alive in our hearts with each memory we recall!
Jude, Lynda, Desiree and Roman… to say I’m sending my deepest condolences, is an incredible understatement. I am so sorry you’ve suffered this loss. I wish for you all to remain close to one and other, while you each learn to navigate the journey forward. Jude is so fortunate to be loved, nurtured and cherished in your capable hands. So much love to your family.
Lynda, words cannot express my sorrow for you and your family. Unfortunately, I did not personally know your daughter, but by your description, she mirrored you in her beauty, love, energy and light. Hugs my friend❤
Warmest heartfelt condolences to Chelsea's family
My heart is with you all at this heart breaking time. I still see that little Chelsea playing around outside and enjoying herself and loving life. sending so much love to you. xoxoxo
I'm so sorry for the loss of Chelsea. My thoughts are with you all, especially her little man, Jude! Rest now Chelsea; heaven definitely needed another angel when they chose you. I promise to leave my password with my loved ones in remembrance of Chelsea.
I’ve known Chelsea for 20 years and man she was amazing I loved her so much And I know she did me Always had my back and always made me feel so good. Always remembered never forgotten Love u My Chelly bear See u again one day.
Chelsea, wishing we could go for that last coffee one last time. I know Jude would be there enjoying a treat and we would have visited like it was 2009. Thank you for always showing your positive nature even through the trials and tribulations life holds for us all. You showed grace when most would have turned a blind eye. I know the coffee will be awaiting and the stories will flow. Know you are forever loved. Lynda and family know I'll always remember the Toyota coming up downtown Regina, the gold Camry so Chelsea and I could have our long visits and genuinely talk about every part of the universe. I'll forever cherish our last coffee when I was visiting home. I'm beyond proud of the mother and woman you became. Know again that love is infinite and forever yours. Jude will always know the blessing you are and always will be to each of us especially he. Rest in paradise my girl. You are loved ❤️