Obituaries

Sheila Marie Dumore

July 7, 1937 - April 16, 2020

SHEILA MARIE DUMORE

 

Born on July 7th, 1937, in Portage la Prairie, Sheila Marie Dumore (nee McNish) died peacefully on April 16, 2020 at her home in West Park Manor after 30, 234 days (82 years). Sadly, she had not seen family nor friends for over a month due to the current pandemic reality. We all support the decision to restrict access to personal care homes, despite the fact that it has made a sad occasion even more so.

Sheila was raised in Winnipeg by her parents, Arthur and Rita McNish, along with siblings Don (Val), Barry (Maggie), Artie (who predeceased her in 1999), and Judy (Pat). She was grateful to have attended St. Mary’s Academy and had maintained friendships with some of her classmates. Her siblings shared with her many nieces and nephews whom she loved, and she was particularly fortunate to spend a greater amount of time with nephew Len (Shelby) in recent years.

In 1954 Mom met Victor and they were married in 1957. They purchased their first home on Elgin Avenue and there raised three children- Colleen, Tanis (Rolf), and Tim (Jennifer).  It was a small home, but one filled with love…we still drive by sometimes and smile with happy memories in our minds, of all the friends our family made in Brooklands. We remember Mom from this time as a Brownie troop leader and as someone who forced Colleen and Tanis to play the accordion (photos, which include cat eye glasses, can be obtained for a small donation to one of Mom’s charities of choice).  In 1974 the family moved to a larger home on Bernadine Crescent. Our childhood friends from this time have reminisced that Mom was a kind woman who treated our friends just as she treated us.  There weren’t many rules, but you knew what they were!  She was a supportive Mom and raised us with a strong conviction to care for those around us. As well, she was the kind of person who friends and neighbours turned to for advice because they saw in her a caring and compassionate person who always saw issues with a wise perspective. During Mom’s time at the latter home, we celebrated her and Dad’s 25th anniversary with a large BBQ party in the back yard! Sadly, Dad died in 1987, and she spent the remaining years of her life unmarried. For the record, Mom and Dad made some of the worst homemade wine ever known to mankind, made worse by the fact that they forced their children to pick chokecherries for that purpose. Who makes chokecherry wine?  During these busy family time years, we were also blessed with some “bonus aunts, uncles, and cousins”, the Epps and Christie families. Together, we enjoyed innumerable family dinners and Christmas celebrations and even built a cabin at Grindstone, near Hecla. At some point, our lives changed as they do, and we may not have seen each other as much as we did during those times, but that bond remains. In fact, a needlepoint poppy picture that mom did still hangs on matriarch Joan Epps wall to this day.

Many people will remember Mom through her nursing career.  With three young children, Mom entered the nursing program at the Victoria General Hospital on River Avenue in 1968, where she earned her RN and the award for General Proficiency. She later went back to the University of Manitoba to obtain her BN. Some of her success as a student may have come from the fact that she sometimes practiced procedures on her family, including starting IVs. We are all grateful that she didn’t become a gastroenterologist.  She held positions at Deer Lodge Hospital where she became a head nurse, at St. Boniface hospital as a head nurse in psychiatric care, and the Grace Hospital where she taught nursing. To this day, we occasionally meet former students who report that mom was their favorite teacher. She loved her career as a nurse and especially the many friendships she made over the years. She retired in 1995 and enjoyed her time doing needlepoint and knitting, helping with grandchildren (John (Monique), Kira, David, Thomas, Lucas and Danica), and enjoying time with friends and family.  While we have all heard our share of mother-in-law jokes, we will be forever grateful that she shared a wonderful relationship with Tim’s wife, Jennifer.

Mom became a member of the Daughters of the Nile at some point and was grateful to have been made a part of that organization. She was also a spiritual person and attend Sparling United Church and John XXIII Catholic Church at different points in her life. In her retirement, she became a Commissioner for Oaths and conducted a number of weddings, demonstrating her love for others in a very tangible way.

Mom spent the last 3 ½ years of her life at West Park Manor and we would like to thank everyone there for their care and compassion. It’s difficult to have to leave the daily care of your Mother to others, but it is made better knowing that those who take over those duties do so with love.

Given the current environment, we have elected to delay her service with the intention of honouring her sometime this summer. If you would like to be made aware of that event, please send an email to tdumore@gmail.com, and we will be certain to advise you once we have more information.

Should you wish to make a donation in her memory, please consider the Mondetta Charitable Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, or the Luciano Pavarotti Fan Club. (Ok, the last one isn’t real, but it’s true that Mom used to have a thing for Pavarotti…)

Sheila Dumore had a full and rewarding life, and we are certain that those who knew her are grateful that she was part of their lives.