Art Vautour-Toole

March 8, 1957 – November 22, 2025

A life of service, love, heritage, and courage

Life Story

Arthur “Art” Vautour-Toole was born on March 8, 1957, at Dr. Georges-L. Dumont Hospital in Moncton, New Brunswick, into a proud Acadian family with deep French and Irish roots. From an early age, Art’s life reflected resilience, leadership, and an unwavering commitment to community and family.

Art passed away peacefully on November 22, 2025, leaving behind a remarkable legacy of service, advocacy, and love—one that continues to live on through the people, communities, and histories he so carefully nurtured.

Early Life and Education

In November 1962, at the age of five, Art’s family moved to a farmhouse in Notre-Dame-de-Kent, where his childhood memories and education began. He attended LeBlancville School, where all grades were taught together in a single classroom by Mrs. Babineau, whose influence Art remembered fondly.

His education continued across Kent County, including:

Notre-Dame-de-Kent School

Whitesettlement School

St-Antoine (Grade 8)

Clément-Cormier School in Bouctouche

During this period, Art lived briefly with his aunt Marie Surette and cousin Emma, an experience that further shaped his compassion and sense of responsibility for others.

Leadership and Community Service

Art’s leadership emerged early. In Grade 8, he was elected student body president, representing students from multiple surrounding communities—an early sign of the trust and respect he inspired.

Throughout his life, Art devoted himself to service:

President, Boys and Girls Club of Notre-Dame-de-Kent

Founding Member, Special Olympics Bowling (Moncton)

Founder and Council Member, Outreach for Youth (Moncton, 1979–1983)

Co-Founder, Dieppe–Moncton–Riverview Comité du 15 août (1989)

Founding Member, Fédération des Associations des Familles Acadiennes (FAFA)

He was deeply involved in service clubs:

Lions Club of Dieppe — Treasurer, Secretary, Bingo Chairman

Riverview Kinsmen Club — Rookie of the Year (1987–1988) and later President, becoming the youngest person nationally to hold that position

Art also ran for District Governor, but was forced to withdraw due to declining health.

Genealogy and Cultural Legacy

In 1981, Art began what would become one of his life’s great passions: genealogy. Through tireless research, he traced Acadian family lines across centuries and continents, preserving stories that might otherwise have been lost.

He served as:

President, Vautour Association Worldwide (1993)

Organizer of the first global Vautour family gathering, Richibucto-Kent (1994)

Genealogist for the first descendants’ gathering of Olivier Céleste Roy, Irishtown (August 2000), attended by over 130 people

Art believed deeply that knowing where we come from strengthens who we are—and he worked passionately to ensure those roots endured.

Professional Life and Health

Art studied at NBCC, where he graduated successfully, and later pursued law studies at Université de Moncton, which he was unable to complete due to health challenges. A dedicated businessman, Art was ultimately forced to retire on December 15, 1998, due to serious medical issues.

Despite chronic pain, he remained mentally engaged, generous with his time, and deeply committed to helping others whenever possible.

Personal Life and Partnership

Art lived openly and authentically at a time when doing so required courage. He met Wayne on January 29, 2000, at Triangles Bar in Moncton. By August 2000, they had built a home together, grounded in honesty, companionship, and love.

Art’s personal writings reveal a deeply reflective man—capable of vulnerability, emotional insight, and profound devotion.

Character, Legacy, and Remembrance

We remember Art as a man whose life was rich with passion, commitment, and love—love that was both deeply personal and broadly societal.

His heart found its fullest expression in the quiet joy of his family, the grounding work of his garden, and the intricate exploration of genealogy, where he traced the roots that bind generations together. Yet Art also believed strongly that love must extend beyond the personal into the public good.

As a Co-Founder of Moncton Pride (River of Pride), Art played a pivotal role in creating a visible, safe, and celebratory space for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. A staunch supporter of equal marriage and LGBTQ+ rights, he stood firmly for justice, dignity, and inclusion—ensuring that every individual’s fundamental rights were not only defended, but championed.

In 2005, Art and Wayne—alongside Catherine Sidney and Bridget McGale, Wayne Harrison and Ross Leavitt, and Jim Crooks and Carl Tricky stood before Judge J. Clendening to seek equal marriage rights in New Brunswick. It was a moment of profound courage and hope, and a day of immense pride for New Brunswick citizens. Within a month, equal marriage rights were granted to all Canadians, marking a turning point in our nation’s history.

Thank you, Art, for all you did during your life to make New Brunswick—and Canada—a more just, inclusive, and compassionate place for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

The warmth Art cultivated at home and the equality he fought for in public remain among his most profound and lasting gifts.

Arthur “Art” Vautour-Toole’s life was one of service, leadership, love, and courage. Though he passed on November 22, 2025, his spirit endures—in the family he cherished, the community he helped shape, and the histories he worked so devotedly to preserve.

Forever loved. Forever remembered.