Faye Serofin

Following a brief illness and with sadness in our hearts, we announce the passing of our dear mother Faye Serofin on March 2, 2026.

Born Shirley Faye Billis on August 21, 1935, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Faye was predeceased by her parents Benedict and Margaret, brother Gary, and her husband of 66 years, the love of her life, Thomas William (Bud) Serofin. Faye is survived by her children, Toni (Luciano), Coleman (Theresa), Lisa Marie, granddaughters Lia Rose and Breanna, brother Murray (Fran), sister Lynn, her long-time friend of almost 75 years, Florence Henderson Stokes and her American pal, Judy Curtis of Pensacola, Florida. 

From the time she was 18 years old, a newly wed Faye Serofin made Transcona her home. In 1956 Faye and Bud purchased their first and only house at 396 Kildare Avenue East. As she described it, “The house was so new, the plaster was still wet”. The price was just over $10,000, with a 30-year mortgage at 3%, which they took the full 30 years to pay off at $60.00 a month.

Faye was a long-time member of Blessed Sacrament Parish and a member of the Catholic Women’s League. 

Our mom was an excellent cook and homemaker, balancing responsibilities in the home and a work life outside the home long before it became commonplace. In the mid 1960’s, Faye worked for Office Overload as a “temp”, eventually landing a permanent part time position with Jacob Crowley, later to become Tan-Jay International, as a bookkeeper. In the 80’s Faye was hired at the Winnipeg Taxation Centre and stayed there until her retirement.

Being a depression baby, frugality and practicality seemed to be part of our mom’s DNA. In the 60’s we used to watch Faye hand darning holes in Bud’s wool work socks. She used a large lightbulb inside the sock to provide a form for the weaving job. In order to save money on water and electricity bills, she used to recycle the wash water from her Locomotive wringer washer, to be used twice. She bought parchment margarine and mixed in the dye. She scoured the flyers and travelled to find the bargains. She clipped coupons and she shopped no name brands until she was almost 90!

Faye was a social person, always eager to meet new people and try new things. In the 60’s she was a member of Transcona Bowling’s 5 Pin League and in the 70’s, she joined the 10 Pin League at Chateau Lanes. Faye excelled at the sport of competitive Shuffleboard and as a member of the Manitoba Shuffleboard Association, she won numerous provincial titles and was inducted into the MSA Hall of Fame in 2012. Faye also enjoyed considerable Shuffleboard success on a national level, winning Mixed Doubles in 1977 with John Komadowski, Ladies’ Singles in 1985 and Mixed Doubles for a second time in 1986 with Dale Mattson. She was inducted into the Canadian Shuffleboard Hall of Fame in 2009.

In retirement, Faye and Bud travelled extensively throughout Canada, and the US. They always travelled by automobile. They drove their used 1971 Pontiac Le Mans T37 (Faye spun that car in a snow storm on I 29 North Dakota), before upgrading to a brand-new 2000 Nissan Maxima, the first new car they ever owned! Over the years, our parents were fortunate to have flown to several locations throughout Mexico, for their month-long winter getaways. When they were at home, Faye and Bud played Cribbage almost every night. They were also known to frequent the casinos, locally and south of the border. 

Both Faye and Bud cared deeply about the misfortunes of others. For many years, Faye and Bud were generous contributors to national charitable organizations such as CARE Canada, OXFAM, World Vision and locally, to the United Way, Harvest Manitoba, Cancer Care Manitoba and to Siloam Mission.

As her time drew near, Faye faced the inevitable in a most brave and dignified manner; longing to be with Bud, the man she missed so desperately, for so long.

Rest in Peace, Mom.

Our family is grateful for the care our mom received during her brief stay at The Middlechurch Home of Winnipeg.

A Funeral service will be held at Blessed Sacrament Church in Transcona on Saturday September 19, 2026  at 1:00 PM. Reception will follow.