Obituaries

ELFRIEDE MARIA BLANDO Funeral Liturgy was Celebrated on Friday, March 23, 2012 at 10:30 a.m. in St. John Brebeuf Roman Catholic Church, 1707 John Brebeuf Place, with Rev. Fr. Mark Tarrant, presiding. For those who wished, viewing was held prior to the Liturgy.Publish Date: Mar 24, 2012ELFRIEDE MARIA BLANDO December 3, 1931 – March 18, 2012 Peacefully on Sunday, March 18, 2012, Elfriede passed away at the age of 80 years. Elfriede, mother, mother-in-law and grandmother, will be lovingly remembered by her beloved sons Alexander and (Elaine) Markham, ON, Robert and (Karen) Winnipeg, MB; six cherished grandchildren Anna, Alex III, Adam, Justin, Jade and Jasmine; as well as by sisters Ingeborg Hopf, Hannelore Timmel, and Heidemarie (Peter) Tschirner of Germany. She was predeceased by her devoted husband of 51 years of marriage, Alexander Blando and her parents Maria and Johann Straussberger of Regensburg, Germany. Born in Ingolstadt, Germany, Elfriede immigrated to Canada in 1954 and married the love of her life Alex in Saskatoon, SK, on August 1955. They moved to Regina where C.P. Rail employed Alex and they started a family. In a few short years, they were transferred to Thunder Bay, ON. Elfriede began working at McLeod Steadman’s as a cashier/client services person. By 1970, the family again relocated to Winnipeg, where she resided for the rest of her life. Elfriede worked at Dominion and later Safeway as a cashier until she retired in 1986. Her regular customers loved her gregarious nature and keen knowledge of which retailers had the best specials on at any given time. Family was what Elfriede lived her life for. She enjoyed tending in her flower garden, playing ball with her dog and preparing her famous Sunday feasts. She was a dotting and generous grandmother. Elfriede took great pride in creating her delicious black forest chocolate cakes for the various celebrations. She was an accomplished bowler in her younger years, once winning a trip to Hawaii. Hawaii became her favourite get away paradise, which she returned to several times over the years. Funeral Liturgy will be Celebrated on Friday, March 23, 2012 at 10:30 a.m. in St. John Brebeuf Roman Catholic Church, 1707 John Brebeuf Place, with Rev. Fr. Mark Tarrant, presiding. For those who wish, viewing will be held prior to the Liturgy. The family wishes to thank all the dedicated crew on CD2 Riverview Health Centre who so caringly tended to Elfriede’s needs during her final years. We are so grateful. Donations in Elfriede’s memory may be made to The Heart and Stroke Foundation, 200 – 6 Donald St., Winnipeg, MB R3L 0K6 or the Canadian Diabetes Association, 200 – 310 Broadway, Winnipeg, MB R3C 0S6. Life and death are of supreme importance. Time passes swiftly and opportunity is lost. Let us awaken awaken… Do not squander your life. Zen Night ChantPublish Date: Mar 20, 2012   As published in the Winnipeg Free Press on March 20, 2012