Fonds

Jérémie Tremblay was born January 6, 1930, in Hébertville near Lake Saint-Jean, the son of Marie-Louise Bouchard and Joseph-Cléophas Tremblay, a travelling salesman. The daughter of Marie-Anna Bouliane and Paul-Émile Bergeron, a grocer, Mariette Bergeron was born April 16, 1931, in Jonquière, near Saguenay.

In 1943, Jérémie's family moved to 344 Saint-François Street in Jonquière, several blocks from the Bergeron family home. At this time, both young people were in school. Mariette went to teachers college (École normale), where she took the "Complementary Course," followed by the "Superior Course". She received her credential in 1948 and was hired to teach in an Arvida elementary school the same year. She was 17 years old. During the same period, Jérémie followed the classical curriculum at the Séminaire de Chicoutimi, where he received his diploma in 1952.

When Jérémie's brother became engaged in April 1950, his mother suggested that Jérémie invite the daughter of Paul-Émile Bergeron to the engagement party. Following this first meeting, Mariette and Jérémie would see each other every Sunday when Jérémie would come home from Chicoutimi. After a short period of uncertainty, during which religious vocations were considered, the young couple decided to plan a future together.

In 1950, Mariette, then 19 years old, received a promotion and was made the principal of a small Arvida elementary school. She worked as a principal and teacher in two other schools until 1956. In September 1952, Jérémie was enrolled in dental surgery at the Université de Montréal, but he quickly left this field to study pharmacy instead. For most of his stay in Montreal, Jérémie lived in an Outremont rooming house and worked part-time at the Messier pharmacy on the corner of Mont-Royal and De Lorimier Streets. During Jérémie's four years of university, he and Mariette would see each other the occasional weekend and during holidays. The couple's relationship developed primarily through their letters. They married on June 11, 1956, six days after Jérémie graduated. Mariette then had to resign as principal.

From 1956 to 1960, Jérémie worked as a pharmacist in Jonquière. The couple had two children: Louis-Michel (1957-) and Jean-Pascal (1959-). Jérémie decided to pursue graduate work in pharmacy at the Université de Montréal, so the family moved to Montreal in 1960. In 1961, Mariette also enrolled at the Université de Montréal, part-time, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1967. The six years during which she played the role of homemaker by day and student by night were marked by the births of two more children: Stéphane (1962-) and Roseline (1963-). In September 1964, Jérémie, who had just obtained a PhD in pharmacodynamic and clinical biochemistry, was hired as an assistant professor at the Université de Montréal. He became an associate professor in 1967, and was named dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy from 1968 to 1970.

In 1971, Jérémie took a sabbatical year in London, England, where he did a fellowship in the Department of Biochemistry at St. Mary's Medical School, University of London. He left academia in 1983 but continued to work, notably as a consultant for pharmaceutical companies. Mariette, for her part, worked full-time as a teacher at Collège Sophie-Barat in Ahuntsic until 1979. She then held leadership positions in several Montreal schools until her retirement in 1991. The years that followed were marked by travel and various personal and professional achievements.