Obituaries

NANCY LISA ADAMSON

On Friday, January 18, 2019, Nancy Adamson, aged 59, succumbed to cancer, her strong spirit intact to the very end.

Left to survive Nancy are her beloved sister Susanne Adamson (Wayne Yaskew) stepbrother, Clay DeBolt (Diane Poulin), stepsister Debbie Yeo (Barry Yeo), and many cousins, aunts and extended family. Her parents, Claude and Louise Adamson predeceased her.

Nancy lived most of her life in Winnipeg – a Fort Garry girl at heart. She had also lived briefly in Ecuador, Indonesia and Calgary. Like her Mother, Nancy loved to shop and travel. At a young age, her parents took her and her sister on many road trips, particularly through the USA to visit her American relatives in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Like her father, Nancy loved music, art and photography and all things quirky.

Her passions were dogs, gardening, reading, and playing Scrabble and crossword puzzles. Despite Nancy’s somewhat introverted nature, she had a unique, dry sense of humour and wit that wasn’t always obvious until you got to know her.

Nancy really enjoyed spending time at her friends’ cottages. “Lake Time” would allow Nancy to be herself and not think about her cancer. She relished her time there to sit in the sun, play board games and be surrounded by lifelong friends.

Most of Nancy’s career was with the City of Winnipeg – Transit Department. After leaving the job with the City, she taught English as a Second Language (ESL) in Ecuador and Indonesia. But it was in her job as Manager of Corporate Communications & Community Development for Terralog Technologies that Nancy found her passion. She was the pioneer of Terralog’s Community Development Program (CDP), and was instrumental in building a solid foundation for the future of the CDP. Nancy developed and refined the program into an essential and integrated component of the company’s culture. She worked with projects/communities in rural areas worldwide and travelled to these remote locations to oversee the community development activities. She thrived on scoping out new CDP projects, and was so proud to see the work having such a positive influence on people’s lives – especially the children.

Nancy was a medical wonder, turning a very grim six-month prognosis into over 80 months. Her incredibly positive attitude and her desire to travel kept her going. Prior to her illness, Nancy loved her yearly beach vacations. Despite the challenges of her cancer, she continued to travel with friends to Europe and Mexico, and also ventured on her own back to Ecuador to see old friends and colleagues from her ESL days. Nancy and Susanne had many “Sister holidays” in New York, Bali, Singapore, Mexico, Hawaii, and Florida.

Nancy’s longevity would not have been possible without two outstanding, compassionate medical oncologists, Dr. Gwyn Bebb (Tom Baker Cancer Centre in Calgary), and Dr. Shantanu Banerji (CancerCare Manitoba) and their staff, particularly Lisa Lamonte (Tom Baker) and Lori Walker (Cancercare Manitoba). They really “got” Nancy for the person she was.

Nancy’s kindness, light-hearted spirit, and generosity made her beloved and cherished with family, friends and colleagues everywhere she went, at home and in her travels. To honour Nancy’s life and memories, a ‘Celebration of Life’ event will be held at the Qualico Family Centre, 330 Assiniboine Park Drive, on Thursday February 21, 2019 at 7:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to CancerCare Manitoba, Manitoba Mutts, Winnipeg Pet Rescue, or any other charity of your choosing.

Condolences may be sent to www.wojciksfuneralchapel.com

Splendour in the Grass

“What though the radiance

which was once so bright

Be now forever taken from my sight

Though nothing can bring back the hour

Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower,

We will grieve not, rather find

Strength in what remains behind,

In the primal sympathy

Which having been must ever be,

In the soothing thoughts that spring

Out of human suffering,

In the faith that looks through death,

In years that bring the philosophic mind.”

                                                  William Wordsworth