Obituary of DEIRDRE CLARE ANN LAVENDER

Deirdre (Clare) Ann Lavender

Deirdre (Clare) Ann Lavender was born in Toronto, Ontario on 28 August, 1947.  When she was about 12 years old, her mother Joan suddenly died, and she took the responsibilities of maintaining the household from then on. 

She went away to university, and she received an M.A. in English Literature from Simon Fraser University in BC.  During her university years, she moved from the Anglican Church to the Roman Catholic Church.  After her studies, she worked in several places Toronto and in Winnipeg, during which time she also attempted to live in several monastic communities.  It was her fragile health which kept her from persevering there. 

In Winnipeg, she found the Orthodox Christian Faith, and in June, 1987, she was received into the Church.  She soon became a member of Saint Nicholas Church in Narol, Manitoba, and the parishioners truly became her family.   In the 1990s, her father Richard died.  Deirdre continued in her solitary life, praying daily and attending services very often.  Her health was always a very limiting factor.  She was an avid (even voracious) reader, and she was a gifted poet.  In her youth, a collection of her poems was published.  She further wrote a large quantity of prose in which she expressed herself, although it was not intended for publication.  She was very sensitive, and she sincerely cared for other people, and perhaps particularly for animals. 

Although she lived alone, she was not disconnected from life or from current events.  She read newspapers, watched television, and listened to the radio.  She could and did engage knowledgeably in conversation on a wide range of subjects.  Her younger brother Harold was a well-known social activist, but who also suffered from many illnesses throughout his life.  He then became much more seriously ill and died in Vancouver, BC, on 10 September, 2018.  This was an event that was very difficult for her, since he had been her major personal support throughout her life. 

She, herself, became yet more ill, and on 15 April, 2019, Deirdre Clare fell asleep in the Lord in hospital in Winnipeg.   Immediately after her repose, there were prayers offered for her in the hospital and in the church. 

On Friday, 24 May, 2019, at 7:00 p.m., a Panikhida (Memorial Service) will be held at the Church of Saint Nicholas in Narol (5635, Henderson Highway).

On Saturday, 25 May, 2019, at 10:00 a.m. the Funeral Service for the Burial of a Lay-person will be offered at the Church of Saint Nicholas in Narol.

Following the service and the interment in the parish cemetery, there will be a Memorial Reception in the Church Basement Hall