With heavy hearts, we announce that our beloved wife and mother Carole passed away on September 18, 2021 in the Health Sciences Centre at the age of 83 years.

 

She leaves to mourn her husband Wayne of 58 years; children Cary (Karen), Kevin, Kim (Joe); grandchildren Brooklynn and Darby; brother Howard (Elayne); many extended family, friends and her cherished pet Wrigley.  She was predeceased by her parents Arthur and Leta.

 

Carole was born December 17, 1937 in Winnipeg, first-born to Arthur and Letitia (Leta) Lynds.  They resided at Scarth, Manitoba where her father was a station agent/telegraph operator for Canadian National Railway. In July 1944, her family, which by then included her only sibling Howard, moved to Plumas, Manitoba where she graduated from High School.  Carole then attended teacher’s school in Winnipeg to pursue her education license and also spent some time in Miami, Manitoba gaining teaching experience.  Upon receiving her license, she began her teaching career which saw her working in two St. James schools from 1960 to 1968.

 

Carole met her future husband, Wayne Clark, at a social event at the Winnipeg Canoe Club in May 1961, where they were both members.  They were married October 12, 1963, first residing in St. James, before moving to River Heights and then to Charleswood in 1977 where they continued to live until present day.

 

Carole was a dedicated mother and homemaker. She and Wayne had three children, Cary, Kevin and Kim, born between 1968 and 1973.  From 1980 until her retirement in December 2002, Carole balanced work inside and outside the home, where she worked in dry cleaning services while continuing to raise her family.

 

Carole was an active member of St. Mary’s Anglican Church, where she sang for many years in the church choir and participated in various committees.

 

She dearly loved to bake and loved sharing her baking with guests at many family parties and other gatherings.

 

Carole was a dedicated sports fan and devoted home team supporter.  She loved the Winnipeg Jets, old and new, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Winnipeg Goldeyes, and in the last couple years, the Toronto Blue Jays. It was not uncommon to see Carole with her ear phones on listening to a Goldeyes game while watching another sports game on TV.  She equally loved watching her own children and grandchildren play various recreational sports and related activities, including soccer, baseball, and performance dance.

 

Carole enjoyed several memorable family vacations to most regions of Canada, and to various parts of the United States.  She and Wayne also travelled to the Caribbean on a couple occasions, including a cruise ship holiday upon Carole’s retirement in 2002.

 

Carole had a genuine zest for life, loving a good joke or humorous story.  She was charmingly quirky, whether it be ice cubes in their dog Wrigley’s water, her liberal use of scotch tape to fortify gift wrapped presents, or adding cut-out figures of absent family members to photographs for completeness sake.  She was rarely without her trusted camera to record each moment (big or small) for posterity and reflection.  If her camera was mislaid during an event, it was all hands on deck in red alert mode to find it, before another photo opportunity passed her by.

 

Carole also maintained a daily journal in her impeccable handwriting.  This was used on more than one occasion to settle a family debate about the finer details of a past event, and to prepare her annual Christmas letter.

 

Carole loved parties.  She felt duty-bound to explain the rationale behind every gift, sometimes spoiling the surprise before unwrapping was even complete.  Once opened, she would take a picture of each gift with the appreciative recipient.

 

Carole loved to walk with Wayne and Wrigley at the Charleswood dog park, and on various other trails.  She was a proud member of the local dog fraternity, which became a source of many special and enduring new friendships over the years.  She also loved spending time at Winnipeg Beach.  Despite her issues with arthritis, Carole remained active and would scarcely sit idle.

 

The family would like to thank the staff of the Health Sciences Centre for their compassionate care of Carole during her brief stay following her serious stroke.  The family would also like to thank everyone who knew and loved Carole for their prayers, thoughtful wishes, words of comfort, nourishment and other supports at this very difficult time.

 

Planning is underway for a service and celebration of Carole’s life at St. Mary’s Anglican Church.

 

Instead of flowers, donations may be made to Heart & Stroke Foundation or the Arthritis Society.