ERIN PAIGE DANIELS

With broken hearts we announce the peaceful passing of our beloved daughter, Erin Paige Daniels, on Thursday, November 7, 2024 at the Grace Hospice in Winnipeg.

She is lovingly remembered by her mother, Val Goodridge (Bob Strilec), her father, Don Goodridge (Flora), as well as an extended circle of family and friends.

Erin was born on August 25, 1970 in Calgary, Alberta and grew up in the Silver Heights neighbourhood in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Her grandparents, Jack and Olive Watt, grounded her childhood. Erin’s grandma looked after her during the day, enriching her life with gardening, nature walks, art activities and shopping trips to Polo Park. Grandpa always had time to play any silly game Erin suggested. In summer she and her friends could be found in grandpa’s backyard pool with him throwing coins and the girls diving to find them.

Erin loved being with her Mom and Bob. She rarely left the house without a hug and an “I love you” as she headed out the door. She enjoyed celebrating special occasions at Rae and Jerry’s, Christmas Eve at home with cousins, Mike and Karen and their kids, Cody and Samantha or just hanging out on the deck in the backyard sharing time with Mom. Erin loved animals having hamsters and cats for pets as a child. As an adult, dogs stole her heart. Her Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Winston and Clementine and more recently Louis, brought her joy and completed her family.

Erin enjoyed spending time with her dad, Don Goodridge. They would go to dinners and movies and Don enriched her life by taking her to special events such as the Calgary Stampede or a trip to the Olympics when it was in Calgary and Banff. Erin had a loving relationship with her grandparents, Harold and Anne Goodridge. She enjoyed visiting them on Pontiac Bay or driving to Clearwater Bay to spend time with them. Sitting on the dock at the lake with Grandma Anne was a favourite activity.

Erin made friends easily but more importantly she kept them, nurturing each relationship with love, loyalty, respect and a healthy dose of laughter and fun. The friends of her heart were developed in her childhood, on through high school, university and during her teaching career. Three of these friends, Robyn, Krystal and Wendy were with her on the day she passed. Erin had friends of all ages including her “other mothers”, who she turned to for advice while growing up.

Beginning in her teenage years, and continuing to the present, the “Girls’ Weekends” at Falcon Lake were not to be missed. The Sunday night date for dinner and Ninety Day Fiancé was a highlight in her week including during her time at Grace Hospice. Erin loved the lake and a friend’s invitation to their cabin at Victoria Beach, Lac Lu, Brereton Lake or Falcon would have her packing a bag and jumping in her car. She had fond memories of all those wonderful times with friends. She treasured the special times at VB spent with Sigrid and Mike and their boys and Dana and Peter and their daughters, Alex and Cady who she thought of as family.

After completing her Education degree at the University of Winnipeg, Erin joined the teaching staff of Assiniboine South School Division, later to become Pembina Trails, first in term positions at Linden Meadows and Westdale Junior High then in a permanent position at Ecole Charleswood School. There she would grow into a gifted teacher, a trusted colleague and an advocate for the children she taught. For many years, Erin taught Language Arts and Social Studies to a variety of grades. Then looking for a new challenge she took on the role of Teacher Librarian and Language Arts consultant in the school. As an avid reader, this was an excellent fit. Erin was active in extracurricular student activities, supervising team sports and the yearbook club. Despite opportunities to move in different directions, she happily spent the rest of her career at Ecole Charleswood School.

Erin was a life-long learner, taking countless professional development courses and acting as a mentor to other teachers. She was active in her professional associations, serving on the executive of the Manitoba Association of Teachers of English (MATE) for many years as well as being a member of the Librarians’ Association in the division.

From a simple trip to Disney World in Florida as a six year old, Erin developed a love of travel. She travelled across Canada with her family and close friends. She explored Mexico, Jamaica and Italy with her Mom. With her former husband, Charles, she discovered Australia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and England. A travel highlight was a trip to Spain with her friend, Rebecca, and a group of professional women. Erin’s favourite place on earth - her Happy Place - was Barbados. She fell in love with the island and its culture while visiting friends, returning again and again most recently this past July.

Erin experienced health challenges in her life. She met them all with courage and optimism. In 2000 she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. She decided then that her illness would not define her. She met each new symptom with grace, never complaining. In 2018 when she received a stage four cancer diagnosis, she once again met it head on and decided to fight. In the following years she lived life to the fullest, traveling, spending time with friends and family and pursuing the career she loved in the supportive environment at Charleswood. This August Erin made the difficult decision that she was not strong enough to go back to teaching. With great regret she left the career, the staff and the students she loved.

We are forever grateful to the staff at Cancer Care, especially Dr. Desautels as well as the incredible nurses and health care aids on 3 South at the Grace Hospital. We offer a special thanks to everyone at Grace Hospice who lovingly cared for Erin, her family and her friends.

Erin lived her life with love, courage and optimism. To honour her memory, she would expect us to do the same.

A funeral will be held on Monday, December 2 at 4:30 P.M. at Prairie Spirit United Church, 207 Thompson Drive with a reception to follow.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Cancer Care or the Multiple Sclerosis Society in Erin’s name.

Erin’s family kindly requests that all of her friends and relatives take a few minutes to honour her memory by watching the photo-biography above. Please, also consider sharing your own photos, memories, and stories by making use of the comment section on this page.

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ETHICAL DEATH CARE

Cremation & Life Celebrations

1833 Portage Avenue - Winnipeg

204-421-5501 - www.ethicaldeathcare.com

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