Andrea Joanne Roscoe-Lacasse, 69 years of age, passed away on Tuesday, 30 June 2020 following complications brought on from Parkinson’s. She was the wife and partner of Michael Lacasse and the beloved mother of Carolynn. Together, Michael and Andrea shared 38 years of marriage.

Born in Hamilton, Ontario on 9 June, 1951, she was the daughter of Ollie and the late Morris Roscoe, and sister to Martin and David. She attended Aldershot high school in Burlington, Ontario and spent a year at the Institut de Touraine, in Tours, France to perfect her French and engage in her interest of French culture. A lifelong student, Andrea obtained several certifications, including a BA from the University of Waterloo, a teaching certificate from Hamilton Teachers College, and a Bachelor’s of Interior Architecture and Design from the University of Manitoba. She first worked as a teaching assistant in the Hamilton area, thereafter as an Interior Designer in Toronto from whence she departed for Montreal, Quebec where she worked at Pratt and Whitney and Leonard Ostroff Design Associates. Having obtained her professional designation as an Interior Designer from the Société des Décorateurs Ensembliers du Québec she then formed the company Lazko Design for which she undertook a number of commercial interior designs projects in the Montreal area. She later moved with her family to Ottawa, Ontario, where she obtained designations in Early Childhood Education from Algonquin College and Certified Meeting Planning in support of her work for the Canadian Paediatric Society. 

Andrea’s leisure time during her earlier life with Michael was spent outdoors as they had met through a hiking club, and they both participated an English hiking group, but in addition, she participated in a French hiking group “Second Souffle”; she was particularly proud of having trekked her way to the top of Mount Washington in New Hampshire. She was also very active in folkloric dancing having earlier perfected her dancing skills with Ukrainian dance troops in both Hamilton and Winnipeg.   

She demonstrated her love of young children by developing an early childhood day program in Ottawa, L'École Buissonnière, focused on the arts and modelled after the namesake pre-school in Montreal. Andrea’s love of art was not only manifested in teaching the young, but also for her own enjoyment.  She especially liked graphic design and in particular painting. She actively participated in classes given at the Ottawa School of Art and, more recently, lessons offered at the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orleans, Ontario. At these classes she was able to express herself not only on canvas but also through association with others given her very convivial nature.She will be remembered not only for her good nature, but for her feisty demeanour, ever positive and can-do attitude and support and selfless devotion to the well-being of her daughter and husband.