Valérie Plante's Father Has Died & She Shared Sweet Memories Of Her Time With Him (PHOTO)

On Sunday, March 5, Montreal mayor Valérie Plante shared in an Instagram post that her father had died suddenly in his sleep. The mayor left a tribute on her Instagram page, writing that "A father is a daughter's first love. Mine always believed in me. He showed me that you can dream and reach your goals when you put your heart into your work."

Plante shared that her father's health had been suffering in recent months, saying that he "was welcomed everywhere like a friend, a confidant, a ray of sunshine."

The mayor shared photos from her childhood to remember her father, Gaétan, recalling travels in her youth with her father through "the villages of Abitibi."

"Much later," she wrote, "when I entered politics, taking my dad with me door-to-door or better yet to a seniors' home, was an instant success! The ladies liked this handsome man, so nice, well dressed, perfumed, who made them laugh and chat."

Plante continued her loving tribute, writing, "That's how my father was. A man who started at the bottom of the ladder, who worked his way up through sweat and sacrifice. A man who loved, a little crooked at times, but who never spared an 'I love you.'"

The mayor's father is survived by his two daughters, Valérie and her sister Caroline, as well as his grandchildren, Samuel, Guillaume, Émile, Ellie-Jade and Gaël, his wife Louise (who Plante describes as "our second mom") and his first wife, Constance.

"Now begins the long learning process of moving forward, laughing and crying, without him in our lives," Plante concluded.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.