FIERY, ARTISTIC & SENSITIVE

Josée Duranleau

(& her husband Glenn Laughton)

My friend Josée and I likely would not have been expected to form such a lasting bond, yet something in our shared French-Canadian background — both of us navigating life in the English-Canadian rooted city of Toronto — created an immediate and natural sense of familiarity. That common ground became the foundation of a friendship that has now lasted for more than 35 years.

In our twenties, we explored and discovered life side by side, most often on the dancefloors of downtown Toronto nightclubs, fully immersed in “emerging adulthood’ years. We witnessed each other’s highs and lows, including some wild, unfiltered, and not always our proudest moments, yet always with an underlying thread of endless fun, loyalty and understanding. Over time, what began as youthful adventure matured into deep mutual respect and a shared appreciation for growth, resilience, and the meaning we each derive from life. We have seen each other through adversity, change, and evolution, and we are still very much on that journey. Perhaps it is that long history — and yes, knowing where all the “dead bodies are buried” — that makes this friendship feel so enduring and unshakable. “La belle p’tite rousse” as Dad would say. Ma belle Josée.