Tilbury family searching for treasured heirloom
Grandma’s custom-made blanket may have been donated by mistake
The family of a Tilbury widower is desperately searching thrift stores in Chatham, Tilbury and Windsor and using social media to track down a treasured blanket adorned with family photos.
It may have been mistakenly donated after the man’s wife died in February.
“It’s going to be the first Christmas without her and it’s going to be rough,” Jessica Gerard said Thursday of the holidays without her late grandmother. Jeannette Trotechaud.
Her Meme always had a blanket on her lap, even in the summer, and this one was custom-made as a gift to include family photographs including wedding pictures with her husband, Joseph Trotechaud.
Joseph, who is in his late 80s, took care of his wife for years and was devastated by her death, the 39-year-old Gerard said.
The family thinks the blanket that is a few feet long and has a black background with a collage of family photos wasn’t thrown out but was mistakenly put with items being donated.
Donations in the last few months were to thrift stores in Tilbury and Chatham and to the Canadian Diabetes Association.
The association was going to look into whether it could have received the blanket and if it could be located perhaps at a Value Village, which buys items.
The family searched the Tilbury home, has already been to Tilbury thrift stores with no luck and was checking in Chatham and Windsor Thursday along with starting a social media campaign earlier this week.
Because the blanket is black on one side and has pictures on the other, maybe it hasn’t been unfolded and noticed, said Nicole Trotechaud, a 17-year-old granddaughter. She said it would mean the world to get it back.
“If we get it back before Christmas it would honestly be the best Christmas gift I’ve ever had,” she said.
If you have seen it, email jessica.gerard1976@hotmail.com.