Community activist.
Born at La Broquerie on 6 July 1925 to Marie Rose De Louise Anna Bisson (1904-1987) and Ovide Cote (1899-1964), he belonged to a family that eventually consisted of 21 children. He began working at a young age with his father in the pulpwood business, in between working also as a car salesman at Geraldton, Ontario. After sustaining injuries in a major accident, he worked as a school bus driver and supervisor until his retirement. In 1951, he married Lorraine Margaret Olason from Piney, and they went on to have seven children.
He loved sports, both participating and watching. His main passion was playing community baseball, where he pitched and played infield, often being recruited to play for community teams in Minnesota. At home, his father and eight of his brothers also played local baseball. The Cote brothers became powerhouse players in Vassar in southeast Manitoba. For a period of time, he and his siblings all played on the same team together. They were so good that they were given special recognition by the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame and inducted on 2 June 2007.
He participated in other sports as well, including hockey, curling, and golf. He enjoyed music, playing his guitar, and watching the Montreal Canadiens every Saturday on Hockey Night in Canada.
He died at Winnipeg on 29 April 2012 and was buried in the Vassar Roman Catholic Cemetery.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 2 May 2012.
Obituary [Ovide Cote], Winnipeg Free Press, 27 May 2023.
“Lucien Ovide Joseph Cote,” Bjornson Family Tree, Ancestry.
This page was prepared by Lois Braun.
Page revised: 10 February 2026
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