NAOMI MARIE PICKFORD

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the sudden passing of Naomi on June 28th in Winnipeg Manitoba after a short battle with Cancer. Naomi passed away peacefully with her family by her side.

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Naomi was born in Brandon, Manitoba. Her military family was posted to Rivers, Manitoba at the time. She was the 3rd child and only daughter of Bernard (Barney) German and his wife Grace. She was a delightful child, full of joy, ready giggles, warm hugs, and some mischief! She adored her dad and followed him around like a puppy. Unfortunately, he died suddenly when she was 10, and she grieved his loss until the day she died. She will be laid to rest with him in the Courtenay cemetery.

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Following the death of her dad, Naomi became protector of, and best friend to, her mom. They were inseparable soul mates. After Naomi moved away from the Island, the two kept in near-daily contact. When her mom came to visit in Winnipeg, the two loved to steal away for “Thelma and Louise” weekends of shopping and hot-tubbing in Grand Forks.

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She had two older brothers Doug and Kevin who she absolutely adored. Doug taught her to play baseball as well as coached her team. Doug, nicknamed Bear by Naomi and Naomi, nicknamed Nomus by Doug would often play fun, sometimes silly, games that Doug would invent.

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Naomi had a best and lifelong friend, Julie. They did not see each other as much as they wanted to but their hearts and thoughts were forever linked. They always, always looked out for one another. They were and will continue to be kindred spirts.

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Naomi was a very private and giving person who wanted nothing more than to be a wife and mother, so she realized that dream when she met Wayne Pickford in Courtenay BC while he was on a two week mission with the military. Soon after they fell in love and Naomi moved to Cold Lake.

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They later married and Naomi became a step Mom to Wayne’s daughter Ashley. They eventually had two wonderful boys of their own Zachary and Nathan.

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Naomi loved being a Mom and she thrived in Cold Lake. Naomi had amazing organizational and planning skills. Numerous Camping trips to Marie lake, birthday parties decorated to match the kids interests, to spur of the moment trips to B.C to surprise family, Naomi could and did make them happen.

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Naomi had a passion for reading which was passed onto her by her dad. She always read to her boys. She would probably have liked to have kept them a little younger for a little longer. She often did crafts with them as well. She would make special Christmas ornaments for family and friends.

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While in Cold Lake, Naomi started volunteering again, a trait she had picked up at an earlier age volunteering with her mom at MS events. She was named “Volunteer of the Year” for support of families who had a member deployed overseas, volunteering at the local toy library as well as her work in the kids schools.

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Through her volunteer work Wayne and Naomi met many great friends in Cold Lake. Dinners, BBQs, beach days with them and their kids was the norm. 

As the kids got older Wayne, Naomi and their friend Jerry opened up a used book store. Naomi surrounded by books was a very happy lady. It was not to last as a military posting to Winnipeg via Greenwood Nova Scotia had the family on the move.

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Stationed in Winnipeg MB. She became a great advocate of physical fitness, going for long walks daily, running, going to the gym,  daily yoga sessions as well as eating healthy.  She came within two courses of a degree in kinesiology after taking courses part time at University over many years.

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Family trips were still the norm, all organized by Naomi. New York, the Black hills with the Massaroni’s, camping at Birds hill, Rushing River and yearly spring break trips to the C’Mon Inn in Grand Forks with friends.

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When the boys finished school, she turned her attention to Seniors.  She volunteered at Deer Lodge in Winnipeg, she also belonged to a group that drove the elderly to appointments. In this group, she met a dear soul named “Mrs. Ellis“.  The whole family fell in love with her, and adopted her as grandmother, loving her until she passed away at the age of 99.

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Not one to shy away from hard work, Naomi could be seen hanging off scaffolding to paint a house or using a belt sander to prep a wood floor in the homes we lived in.

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Family friends and neighbors would often comment on how hard she worked but she did take some time to have a glass of wine with her friend, Lynell. The two of them could be mischievous together.

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Her love of books continued in Winnipeg and she found herself visiting then working for a while at a used book store owned by her friend Bill called the Neighbourhood Bookstore and Café in Wolseley.

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Naomi’s best friends in Winnipeg was a group of older men that she met at McDonald’s.....her coffee buddies. They shared tons of laughter, Gerry and Ian, and Max who passed a while back, to name a few, were all very special to her. She was always there for them if they needed her, and they loved her as much as she loved them.

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Naomi loved to travel, She travelled with Wayne and the boys to many destinations across Canada and the US. She got to travel with her Mom to England, Scotland, Spain, Portugal and Morocco, Hungary and the Balkans, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzogovina, Montenegro.

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Though Naomi loved to travel to beautiful places, she had a love for nature and camping. She loved going to Birds Hill. Naomi and Wayne recently started to restore a Boler trailer, with plans for future trips, this was the type of trailer they started out with 30 years ago.

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Naomi’s favorite spot was in her back yard, lying in her red hammock reading a book.

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Everybody who met Naomi commented on her beautiful smile, her warmth, how pretty she was. To her family, she was always the first to come if help was needed, always calm and serene when we were in need of a steadying hand. To all, she was a model of kindness and compassion, non-judgmental and unconditional love, and, as at the end of her life, courage in the face of troubles, a true quiet warrior, sadness that her passing would cause us pain, always thinking of others first.

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Naomi will forever be remembered by her loving husband Wayne, their two boys Zachary & Nathan,  step daughter Ashley (Heidi), mother Grace, step father Jack, brothers Douglas (Yvonne) and Kevin (Donna), In laws Roland, Steven (Linda), Pamela (Terry), Terri (Ben),  many nieces and nephews and longtime best friend Julie along with many other dear friends she had made over the years.

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Naomi had friends from all across this country and around the world who may not have been mentioned here, if you knew her you knew she was a very private person, but know that if you were a friend of Naomi, you were important to her as with all who loved her.

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Due to the Covid virus, a celebration of life will take place at a later date and will be announced on this website.

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Please feel free to post pictures and stories here as a means of sharing all of our wonderful memories of Naomi, and remembering her beautiful soul and all that she meant to us.

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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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