Obituary of Irma DUECK

IRMA BERNICE DUECK Peacefully, on April 25, 2009, with her children at her side, Irma passed away after a courageous three year struggle with cancer. Irma was predeceased by sons Gerald and Kenneth Dueck, and her parents Henry and Helena Giesbrecht. Irma will be lovingly remembered by her children; son Gary, his wife Elizabeth (Langner) and their daughter Rachel, daughter Colleen and her husband Darrell Grywinski, brother Arthur and his wife Connie Giesbrecht and their two daughters, Cindy (son Michael) and Tamie (husband Al). She will also be remembered by her many cousins and friends. Irma was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on October 20, 1929. She spent the first 13 years of her life on the farm in Rabbit Lake, Saskatchewan with her parents and brother. Her brother Art recalls fond memories of that time before the family moved to Winnipeg in 1942. Mom was involved in all our sports and activities. She happily drove us, at all hours, to all our practices and lessons. She never missed a competition and was our biggest cheer leader. Having our friends to the house was a regular occurrence and she got to know them all and formed lasting friendships with many of them. She always had her famous chocolate chip cookies on hand for all to sample. These cookies are known to many all over Winnipeg! Growing up, dogs were also a big part of our family life. The caring, love and respect she taught us for animals has stayed with us and has become part of our adult life. Even the four-legged grandkids got doggie cookies. Irma welcomed daughter-in-law Elizabeth and son-in-law Darrell to the family with open arms and they became fast friends. They loved her and will miss her dearly. Irma loved the role of Grandmother (aka: the spoiler) and cherished her time with granddaughter Rachel. Getting together with her cousins was always a special event. They shared good food, got up to speed on what everyone and their families were involved in. Irma held a few office positions over the years where she became known for her meticulous record keeping and professional and friendly demeanor. She formed lasting friendships with many of the staff, management and owners. Irma had a zest for life and lived every day to the fullest. At any given time you could see her walking in St.Vital with her walking partner and very close friend, Dorene. She enjoyed singing and was an active member in the church choir. For the last six weeks of her life, Irma was cared for at the hospice, Jocelyn House. There she made new friends with staff, volunteers and a fellow resident. The family would like to thank everyone there for the wonderful care you provided for our mother. Your kindness and compassion is greatly appreciated. Irma was easy to be around, she always had a shoulder or an ear when needed and was available to all friends and family...if you were her friend, you were family. Her cheerfulness was contagious and her willing smile will be missed by many. A funeral service will be held on Monday May 4, 2009 at 1:00 pm at the First Mennonite Church, 922 Notre Dame Ave. Rev. Kathy Koop officiating. Private interment will be held at a later date. Colleen would like to thank her 'girls' for all their support. The family would also like to thank the following for all the care they provided for Irma: Dr. D.Caners, Dr. C.Andrew and the 7th floor staff at St. Boniface Hospital, Dr. R. Wong and staff at Cancer Care Manitoba, the palliative team and staff of Manitoba Home Care. Flowers are gratefully declined. Donations may be made in Irma's memory to Jocelyn House Inc. 177 Egerton Rd, Winnipeg, MB R2M 2W7