December 18, 1944 - March 13, 2021 The family announces the death of Noël Shank on March 13, 2021, at his home in Val Caron, following a courageous battle with cancer. He was 76 years old. Son of the late Isard and Rosida Shank, he is survived by his cherished wife Nicole (Cuerrier), his two children Marie-Noël (Luc Comeau) and André, his two dear granddaughters Lilly Shank and Maya Comeau, as well as his late sister Thérèse Poulin and his brothers the late Maurice (Hélène St-Denis), Laurent (Mariette Gagné), and Bernard (the late Lovina Laplante). Born in Bondfield, Ontario, on the family farm, his love of the land was always central to his life, until his very last days spent on his farm in Val Caron. After university studies at the University of Ottawa, Noël moved to Sudbury where he successively worked as an electrical and natural gas inspector for the Government of Canada, owner of a health care business (Handicare), insurance agent with the Knights of Columbus and as a free agent. Beekeeping has been his passion for the past 40 years, during which time he has been a beekeeper, a bee inspector for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, a mentor and consultant to many aspiring beekeepers and the owner of Bee-Care-Full apiary. He leaves behind a network of beekeepers across the province with whom he shared information and knowledge until his final days. A Knight of Columbus at heart, he worked actively for some thirty years within the movement, both as Grand Knight and District Deputy, always proud to give generously of his time to his community and the movement. A financier at heart, and a fervent defender of the cooperative movement, Noël gave countless hours to the Caisses populaires movement, most notably to the finance committee of his local caisse. A self-taught and curious individual, Noël invested in the pursuit of many different personal endeavours: skilled with his hands, he taught himself carpentry and woodworking and learned to fly small bush planes. With his life partner Nicole, he practiced competitive social dancing and owned a small ceramics business for many years. Thirsty for knowledge, he was an avid fan of documentaries, both paper and TV, of logic games and an ardent defender of the well-practiced French language. Throughout his life, Noël was an avid fisherman, which took him to many remote and varied "fishing holes". He would religiously study topographical maps for days to prepare complex routes and would go with his wife, and later with his family, into the wilderness of Ontario and Quebec, both in summer as well as in winter. He loved all types of fishing: smelt fishing in streams at night, ice fishing, salmon fishing near dams, trout fishing, etc. He loved to combine this passion with wilderness camping, another one of his great leisure: being in nature – the more isolated the better and the more beautiful, in his view. Due to the current pandemic, a funeral service will be held, on invitation only, on Friday, March 19, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. in the chapel of the Coopérative funéraire de Sudbury. His extended family, relatives and friends will, however, be able to view a broadcast of the service, live from the chapel of the funeral home. Please note that all attending guests are required to pre-register prior to the beginning of this virtual service. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate memorial donations to Notre-Dame du Rosaire Parish (2758 Main Street, Blezard Valley, ON P0M 1E0), 705-969-9339, where Noël and Nicole were long time active members.