Obituaries

ANNA JEAN LASOTA (NEE DEPOURCQ) “ANNA BANANA”

MAY 9, 1932 TO JULY 14, 2026

Our Mom, cousin, friend, and Auntie Anna passed away after a life full of love, laughter, family and a lot of great times at the age of 94.

Survived and ever treasured by her son Wayne Leonard and his wife Linda, cousin Des DePourcq and his wife Pat and their children Lori Anne, Paul and John and their families, cousin Vicki Wilson and her children Tracy and her partner Mark and her boys, Evan, Jordan and Seth; and Clayton and his son Jai, niece Louise DeBeer and her husband Faiz and their children Josef, Jameel and Rashad and their families, niece Teresa Rowe and her husband John in Nova Scotia and their children Ellen and David and their families,  niece Mary-Anne and husband Shawn in BC, nephew Jamie Briskie and his wife Lisa in New Zealand, nephews Tom Briskie and his friend Darina and nephew Rick Briskie, all of Winnipeg.

Anna will be dearly missed by her lifelong cherished friends Betty and Mike Debroni, Goddaughter Michelle and her husband Greg Watts and their friend Ritchie, and Godson Michael Debroni and his former wife Karen and their children Brett and Brooke.  Also, very dear friends Shirley Haystead of Kelowna, BC, Doreen and Barry Henrikson of Gimli, MB, Bruce Mathews (Maxine) and Hazel Morton and all the rest of the gang at Kiwanis and many more..

Anna grew up in Winnipeg as an only child, and after leaving school, worked in many different office capacities for several different businesses, such as Great West Life, Inland Cold Storage, Western Alloys and Metals, just to name a few, and most notably the record department at Eaton’s, where she met Leonard John Lasota who would become her husband and true love.

They all benefitted greatly from her dedication and organizational skills and she took evening classes in Business Administration (bookkeeping and accounting) at Red River College, all while raising her young son, Wayne.

Mom was President of the Canadian Credit Women’s Association, Secretary of the Condominium board at Tuxedo Towers while she lived there, and dedicated many years to the Harrow United Church Wolf Cub pack as a leader(Caw) until Wayne became a Scout.

She was very involved in social clubs and together with her husband Leonard, a gentleman like no other, formed their own quality upholstery supply business, Lasota Distributors, which they ran successfully together for many years after their marriage in 1979.

They had a lot of fun together, shared so many good times and made a lot of great friends and memories especially at their trailer on the Debroni “Farm at The Lake” out at Arness, and travelling with the St. John Cantius Senior Club and their great friend Shirley Haystead on their Casino bus trips all over Canada and the US, many of which Mom organized.

Anna Loved to tell a good Joke, call bingo at the Polish Club, and was always the life of the party… especially the Grey Cup parties that she and Betty and Doreen, Phyllis Nazeravich and Linda Boitson would take turns hosting. Poor Dad… he got to do all those dishes!

So creative and talented with her crafts, hobbies and for a time, her cake decorating. Many a special wedding cake was perfectly adorned in her little den.

She could sketch an elegant gown in minutes but didn’t ever pursue her dream as a dress designer.  She loved her crafting and would knit and crochet afghans, make doll clothes and little strawberry bonnets and blankets for donation to the NICU.

She loved wee ones and in particular, her niece Louise and Faiz’s children Jozef, Rashad and Jameel and their children, and her cousin Vicki’s children, Tracy and her sons, Evan, Jordan and Seth, and Clayton and his son Jai, and her Godson Michael’s children, Brett and Brooke.

Her Dementia struggle and her many falls slowed her down considerably of late and gradually took a lot of her abilities, but never took her selfless spirit, her sense of humour or her determined, independent personality.  Her many friends at Kiwanis assisted living will tell you that “Anna Banana, the girl with appeal, or is it ‘a peel’?” and her daily chuckle will be truly missed.

A character, oh yes, a loving mother, cousin and Auntie/advisor and a true friend.

May she rest in the eternal peace of our Lord together with Dad, her beloved husband, Leonard John Lasota and others she loved dearly that passed before her.  In particular, her Mother Lillian DePourcq (Martin) and Father Honoree (Henri/Henry) Rene DePourcq and her Auntie Chris Wilson (nee Martin) and Auntie Mae Florentino (nee Martin).

Our heartfelt thanks to Concordia Hospital. Everyone from reception to food services, pharmacy, the caring compassionate HealthCare Aids and Nurses, especially Roger and “Dr. Figgs”. The exceptional care by Dr. Ziomek and Physician assistant Kim, and our sincere appreciation to Korey from Spiritual Care along with a big thank you to the gals in medical records.

We wouldn’t have made it through Mom’s recent  health journey without the unprecedented care of her wonderful physician, Dr. Nicole Weins, Pharmacist Jarred, and the reception gals, all at Crestview Medical clinic.

If anyone wishes, donations could be made to a charity of your choice, Mom’s favourites being Heart and Stroke, Manitoba Cancer Care, Alzheimer Society or Concordia Hospital Foundation & Spiritual Care.

Per Mom’s wishes, Cremation has taken place and a small, private family service will take place at a later date.

Remember to “Be strong and of good courage, do not be afraid nor dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9)

…….and as Mom quoted her mom often…  to “Dance with the one who brung ya”.