ALICE KOLISNYK

On August 4, 2022 at St. Boniface Hospital, Winnipeg, a beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, cousin, neighbor and friend, Margaret Alice Christina Kolisnyk moved on peacefully from this existence. Alice passed away with family by her side, at the age of 101 years and 3 months, a few years short of the 200 she wished to attain, but still much longer than any known relative.

Margaret Alice Christina Kolisnyk (née Scales) was born to Elizabeth (née Dudgeon) and Wesley Scales on April 24, 1921 in La Riviere, Manitoba with identical twin sister Wilhelmina Deans (née Scales, Aunty Willa). Celebrating Alice's memory are her cherished children Donna Kurt, Doug Kolisnyk (Carmen) and Karen Kolisnyk (Paul Rowe). She will also be dearly missed by Doug's children Keith Kolisnyk (partner Lucia Peruzzo), Matthew Kolisnyk (Sarah Brandon), Karen’s children Kelsea Rowe (partner Tre Rikihana) and Savannah Rowe as well as Keith’s children Nina Kolisnyk and Giulio Peruzzo Kolisnyk. Aunty Willa Deans passed on January 31, 1989 and her children became even more dear to Mom: Wayne, Glenda, Cheryl (deceased), Kim, Cecily, Erin, Ron, Rich and Jimmy (deceased) and their partners and progeny. In addition to immediate family, Alice will be missed dearly by her brother-in-law Kenneth Kolisnyk (friend Bernadette), sister-in-law Joyce Scales (deceased Milton Scales), cousin Cathy Denholm (née Dudgeon), and hundreds of other nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws and innumerable friends throughout North America, Great Britain, Italy, Costa Rica and Australia. Not to mention her precious puppy Sandy who was her companion for many years.

Many friends and family have predeceased Alice, and have been waiting for her for years and decades: her beloved husband Richard, son Robert (Sue), parents Elizabeth and Wesley, brothers James, Robert and Milton, sisters Wilhelmina and Dorothy. Also, many other dear in-laws, cousins, and second cousins in a very large family as well as hundreds of friends.

Alice's life was full of countless changes over 10 decades. She grew up in the Darlingford, Shadeland and Morden areas, and moved from country life to city life with her husband Rich. Her father Wes owned a Model T Ford and she was one of the first women in the area to own her own rumble seat car; Rich worked for Air Canada so air travel became common for the family, with travel world-wide and repeated trips to Australia to visit Karen, Doug and their families; she lived into the era of privatized space travel. Alice first worked on farms in the Morden area where she virtually lived on honey; her preference for sweets is one thing that never changed to her last days, especially her passion for vanilla ice-cream which was a staple in her diet for decades. Mom was very sociable so it only made sense that she worked for Hudson's Bay Company as an operator and for Manitoba Telephone System as a cord-board operator for about 6 years in the 1940s in Grand Beach, Winnipeg and Morden; in her 90s Mom learned to use apps on her iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch to keep in touch with family. She saw radios become black and white and then colour TVs and an explosion in technology advances of all sorts.

It was while she was working for MTS in Morden she saw her future husband walk past the window with hockey skates hung around his neck and said "I'm going to marry that man!" They married on September 19, 1951 and their honeymoon was spent on a ship to Scotland where Dad played semi-professional hockey in Paisley. On their return to Winnipeg, Rich started working for Air Canada as a millwright mechanic and they started a family of four children with Mom being exemplary mother and housewife; she sold Tupperware and Avon as well as worked as a waitress for the Winnipeg Convention Centre. She was the epitome of a sales person having garage sales every weekend in summer for years! Secretly, she didn't want to sell anything because her prices were too high but she was just trying to appease the family saying she was going to get rid of some stuff, and socialize at the same time.

Mom's sociability was evident in her loving to play or tell a good joke and hosting and going to parties. Many family and friends loved partying with her and Dad into the wee hours. In the past half year she loved quoting this poem from memory when she was gifted flowers:

There are tulips in the garden

There are tulips in the park

But the tulips I love the most

Are the tulips in the dark!

Mom and Aunty Willa loved tricking family and friends by pretending to be each other. On one occasion when Mom was visiting Aunty Willa in Flin Flon, Manitoba our cousins didn't know she was visiting and she served them breakfast, putting white sugar on their cream of wheat. The cousins detected the trick and said "You're not Mom, she puts brown sugar on our cream of wheat". These twin-tricks were played on many family and friends.

Alice loved travelling and socializing and by the time she got to her destination she would have befriended the people sitting next to her and all the flight crew! One of Mom's favourite events were the Dudgeon family reunions we attended every 5 years on a family farm in Shadeland district. The infamous picnics and baseball games that never ended at tiny Pearce School in the Darlingford area are etched in our minds. Mom and Dad often attended or volunteered at countless Nature Manitoba and Paddle Manitoba events and presentations over the years with Donna who was also active in these non-profit organizations oriented to nature activities and paddling. Mom was a social butterfly.

While living at Riverridge 1 and 2 the past decade Mom was very socially active, attending all musical performance events, Bingo, parties, and took part in Senior Olympics where she often won gold, silver and bronze medals in Bocci and other senior sports even in the past month. Alice took up painting at the age of 93 at Riverridge 1 and was certainly hiding a talent from everyone including herself, her favourite being a Monarch butterfly she painted! She was a fabulous cribbage player and won her last game against Donna two days before she passed. Mom was a Wheel of Fortune fan and would watch it incessantly; even the day before she passed she was still guessing letters and trying to solve puzzles. But maybe it was really Pat Sajac she enjoyed, he's witty like Jimmy Fallon, Mom's other TV crush she went to bed with every night, and they are both witty like Dad; but Mom has no reason to miss Dad anymore, as she is with him now.

Mom loved knitting scarves for family and friends and solving puzzles, especially word find puzzles, even a couple days before she passed. Her estate includes $10,000 Riverridge funny money collected from attending program activities during 9 years of residence at the two buildings, where she knew and made many friends, and is loved by many residents and staff.

Mom and Dad built their own roll up camper trailer from ground-up and we used it to explore across Canada and into the United States, exposing the family to the natural environment which we continue to love. By far Mom's favourite pastime was canoeing with Donna and Dad including the grueling canoeing and portaging trip to the Nature Manitoba cabin on Mantario Lake in Whiteshell Provincial Park. They went on numerous canoe camping trips, with Mom getting her wishes to go on trips with Donna, after Rich passed, in her 80s and when she was 93, 94, 95. The only thing Mom missed on those trips was her daily ice cream. At age 96 Alice went for a day paddle on the La Salle River with family visiting from Australia and when she was in a hospital bed a week prior to her passing, a doctor witnessed her responding to Donna that she wanted to go in a canoe "If you can take me." Yes Mom, I will take you canoe camping again. Visit Nonagenarian Canoeist by clicking here for some mobility inspiration.

When Mom didn’t finish doing something she’d often say “I didn’t get time.” and we would respond that we were going to quote that on her tomb stone.  That’s funny, Mom, because you lived beyond 101 and you are the longest living person known in your lineage.  

Doug, Karen, and many family and friends thank Donna for her exemplary care of Mom over the past 16yrs since Rich passed, for being her ultimate advocate and companion. Thank you doesn't even come close to our appreciation and gratitude; however, Alice has told Donna countless times and the day before her passing "Thank you for everything you do for me."

Mom always disliked that her hair turned a beautiful natural platinum blonde like Marilyn Munroe; she set it in curlers every night and when she wasn’t able to curl her own hair the last few years, Donna ensured it was still cared for.  We thank Rena for the showers and hair care too and also hairdresser Marni.  It was a highlight for Mom when Karen visited and she would do a cut and set.

The family wishes to thank: the Boldts and Brennans who were Mom's neighbours and watched over her while she was living at home on Bannerman Ave, Winnipeg; friends Linda, Leah, Angela, Diana, Monica for visiting Mom; Beverley from Sage Journey for helping Mom to have a companion and allow Donna some respite the past month; Riverridge 1 ALC staff and Riverridge 2 Enhanced Assisted Living staff, nurse and health care aides; Winnipeg Regional Health Authority staff and health care aides for Mom’s care; doctors, nurses and health care aides over the past month at St. Boniface Hospital and Seven Oaks General Hospital; Dr Kevin Saunders who cared for Mom and Dad for decades; Ethical Death Care for cremation services and support; many friends and family for their support following a great loss to us.

Per Alice's wish, cremation has taken place and, instead of a funeral service, people are asked to join loved ones and have some vanilla ice-cream to celebrate her life. A celebration of life is being planned. Mom continues to be an inspiration and role model to many, so, share jokes, hugs, avoid complaining, love and say "Oh, for gosh sakes!" or "I never!"

A memorial is growing for Alice at http://www.wilds.mb.ca/alice.

Those we love don't go away

They walk beside us everyday

Unseen

Unheard

But always near

Still loved

Still missed

And very dear!

~Author unknown

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Alice'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

530 St. Mary Avenue - Winnipeg

204-421-5501 - www.ethicaldeathcare.com

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