Obituaries

VERNA LEHMAN

Very suddenly on January 16, 2020, a few days short of her 97th birthday, at Misericordia Personal Care Home, after many months of suffering from calcified pressure sores and a deep fissure to the coccyx bone.

Loving wife of the late George, who suffered from CTE from his sport days and their Morris Stampede highway accident, that caused her legs to be crushed, though she learned to walk again without a cane. Loving mother of Victoria Lehman (son, Dr. Samuel Victor, for whom she provided child care that enabled his mother to continue her living), and Jeffrey Lehman (spouse, Lorene; son, Grant, step-children Paige, and the late Meredith), sister to the late Phyllis Offrowich (daughter, Evelyn Ross) and Evelyn Johnston (son, Gordon Johnston), and her surviving sister, Janette Shaw (Ivan Josanovic).

These women quietly owned and operated IFC Ltd (Independent Fish Company Ltd.), a food supply chain management and processing company for over 50. Mom retired when the business was sold through the auspices of the late, great, First Nations leader and entrepreneur, Mary Richard, with the largest federal grant relating to First Nations businesses to that time. Mom modeled respect to all peoples, and particularly cherished the bond of interdependence between the Family and First Nations peoples in the business, delighting in the marrying-in of the Family with Metis, Filipino, Black and other cultures, so happy with all these new Canadian roots.

As Mom often said, and walked the walk: “Don’t just be a taker, be a giver”, and she gave her all and then some, to family, friends and the community by her volunteering (Jr. Diabetes, Luther Home Auxiliary, Meals on Wheels), donating a room of furnishings on the 8th floor of St. Boniface palliative in honor of her late sisters, setting up scholarships in nursing and law, and many, many memorial “bricks” and donations to hospitals around Winnipeg, to name a few.

Verna could squeeze joy from a grape, and her positive nature and iron determination was awesome inspiration, as one far ahead of her time. As a young woman, she loved roller-skating and both classic and barrel roll piano, pounding out a boisterous “St. James Infirmary” until her wrists were crushed in the highway accident. And 5 pin bowling with the company team, the “Flukes” was another source of fun for George and Verna until the mid-1960’s, when George changed careers.

A true North Ender and proud graduate of St. John’s High (Grade 11) and Grade 12 at the second year of the Adult Education Center, Verna believed in life long learning, and took up French at the College St. Boniface in her retirement years. She supported her children through many college and university degrees. The best way forward and out of whatever situation one might be mired in or constrained, was always education first: “No one can take that away from you.”  Her faith and enthusiasm in people was boundless.

Mom’s care of her own mother, through ten years of homecare and another four years at the Maples Personal Care Home, included going by bus in the dead of winter when the roads were otherwise impassable. And she tended, with Victoria, to her two late sisters who suffered with cancer for over a decade. She never hesitated to give and provided her children with amazing opportunities in education and life, including taking them to years of music studies with her own music teacher from her childhood, the late Dr. Alfred Zimmerman, a wonderful legacy for them. How Mom loved to hear singing, violin or guitar from her children and grandchildren, and to get out in the fresh air for a jaunt!

Our beloved Verna’s suffering is over, and may she rest in peace.

Painting credit: Colleen Sydor.

Condolences may be sent to www.wojciksfuneralchapel.com