For forty years, Nadège Laurent has sat on the same bench along the Dufferin Boardwalk in Quebec City. This place-based story traces the seasons, the strangers, and the grief that brought her there, and the quiet peace she found watching the river carry it all away.
Who is Nadège Laurent?
Nadège Laurent was born in 1955 in Quebec City. She met her late husband Henri at a bench on the Dufferin Boardwalk when she was 19. After his passing in 2018, she began walking to that bench every morning.
Life lessons
“Places remember what people forget. Go to the places that matter, and let them hold you.”
Songs
The soundtrack of Nadège's life
- 01
La Vie en Rose · Édith Piaf
This was playing at the café the day we met. Henri sang it to me, badly, on the walk home. I fell in love right there.
- 02
Ne me quitte pas · Jacques Brel
After he passed, I couldn't listen to music for a year. Then this song came on the radio, and I wept, but it was the first time I felt him near me.
- 03
Sous le ciel de Paris · Yves Montand
We played this at our 40th anniversary. He held me close and whispered, 'I'd do it all again.' So would I.
Reflections
Leave a note for Nadège Laurent's family
A space for family, neighbours and visitors. Every reflection is read by our team before it appears here.
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Keepsake
Take this story home
Typeset as a printable book: a cover, the photographs, the story in full, life lessons and songs, and a closing page with a QR code back to it here.
Letter or A4 · PDF
Handled with care.
Every submission is reviewed before publication. Memory House prioritizes consent, dignity, privacy, cultural respect, and the right to request corrections or removal.
