Armand Constantini and Lillian Mitchell

Armand Secondo Constantini was born in 1926, one year after his older brother, Armando (I), passed away.  He grew up on his parents, Louis and Lucia’s, farm in Rutland.  Armand left school after grade eight, taking on various jobs, including logging, before leaving for Vancouver, BC. Once in Vancouver, he did some construction and drove a truck.  After the 1948 floods, Armand worked in salvaging and reconstruction. Several years later, he bought his own truck and started ‘AC Moving and Storage.’  Armand also travelled much of BC, selling novelty items to stores.  Finding better job opportunities in the Seattle, Washington area, Armand moved there in the 1950s.
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Lillian Florence Mitchell was born in Winnipeg, to parents Frederick Mitchell and Edith Dallow.  Daughter, Marlene, was born in 1945 to Lillian and husband, Peter Crichton.  In 1946, Peter left Lillian and Marlene.  Lillian was a dental hygienist when she had met Armand.  Now, on their own, Lillian and Marlene followed Armand to Seattle.  Lillian and Armand were married in 1962.

In Seattle, Armand continued his trucking career, working for the Union Pacific Railroad.  After a few years, he began operating the crane that loaded containerized rail units.  Later, he began the development of the Batnuni Lake Resort, a hunting and fishing lodge, west of Quesnel, BC.  In the early seventies, he took a medical retirement from the railroad and began to build cabins at the resort.  He obtained a hunting and guiding license in the nearby Chine Falls area.  Chine Falls is part of the Kluskoil Lake Provincial Park, which contains part of the Alexander MacKenzie Heritage Trail.  At Batnuni, Armand was a host, fisherman, horse rider, game guide and cook.  He also milled his own lumber from trees on the property.

Due to health concerns, Armand sold the Batnuni Resort, after twenty years of operation, and moved to Quesnel, BC.  This allowed Lillian and Armand to be closer to hospital care.  They were only in Quesnel for a couple of years, before Lillian passed away on December 26, 1996, at the age of 83. Beginning to feel the effects of the cold, Armand bought a home in Yuma, Arizona. Until recently, Armand spent the winters in Yuma and the summers at his West Kelowna home.

Daughter, Marlene, remained in the Washington State area.   She  became very involved with genealogy,  In 1964, Marlene married David Joe Rhéaume.  David worked for the Washington State Patrol, aviation department.  Marlene and David have three children: Robert David (Jennifer), Lilli Marlene (Kevin) and Danielle Rachel.  Robert is a tool company sales representative,  Lilli is a wine distributor and Danielle is writer and blogger.

Armand has always had a close connection to nature and food. He would visit local farms and fisheries, buying fresh food that he would cook up into great Italian dishes.  He kept up his father, Louis’s, tradition of canning and preserving food for his winter consumption.  His failing vision did not deter him from continuing to travel the province.  Brother, Albert Constantini, would drive Armand to all parts of British Columbia so that Armand could enjoy nature’s offerings. 
Armand passed away on February 27, 2022.
D. E. Rampone, Kelowna Canadian Italian Club