Peacefully, with her family by her side, Irene (Mom) passed away at the age of 78, in Winnipeg. She was Oliver’s rock throughout their sixty year marriage and was the centre of the family; sharing a special relationship with each member. She was one of a kind; a “woman before her time”.

Left with great memories are her loving husband Oliver, three children, seven grandchildren, four great granddaughters and one great grandson on the way. Gord and Lorena, children McKenzie (Brandon) and Alexandra (Marc); Doug and Cathy, children Ashley (Jason) and Everley, and Gordon (Dayna) and Charlotte; and Lisa and Ken, children Alexis (Mike) and Sloane, Madison (Aaron) and Olivia, and Nicole. Irene is also survived by her sister Edna, in-laws Russ, Joey and Shirley and numerous nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents Jacob and Margaret Wiebe, sisters Suzie and Carolyn and brother Cliff.

Irene was raised on a farm in southern Manitoba; moving to Winnipeg upon high-school graduation. Irene had an interesting career; from a clerical position with a Winnipeg manufacturing firm as a single woman, to running a boarding house with up to 15 boarders while raising a young family. She eventually moved to full-time employment at the Royal Bank where she worked for over thirty years. Irene was an extremely hard worker and highly capable. Her efforts at the bank were recognized by RBC with numerous “Royal Performance Awards” during her career, one resulting in a spectacular Caribbean cruise vacation.

Irene was a new-age granny, engaged with technology and using it to manage her day-to-day affairs and to keep in touch with family and friends. She enjoyed using FaceTime, and her skill and enjoyment of on-line scrabble was admired by numerous competitors around the world. She was extremely intelligent and inquisitive, often eager to discuss complex issues and systems, and she believed that anything was possible if you put your mind to it and were willing to work hard enough.

Irene’s greatest pleasure was simply spending time with her family. She was always interested in what was happening with everyone, and concerned about every possible problem someone might be facing, no matter how small. Irene was always the first to say something supportive, and she also had an amazing ability to provide guidance by asking questions in a manner that made one think about an issue from a different perspective. Irene was without question the centre of the family.

Irene did love to laugh and was such fun to be around – Oliver’s pet name for her – “Cuda-May” said it all. We will miss her terribly.