TANYA LYNNE SIMMONDS

With deep sadness, we announce the passing of Tanya Lynne Simmonds on December 28, 2025 at age 47 years at St. Boniface Hospital after a long illness.

Tanya leaves to mourn her mother, Cheryl Simmonds; sons, Joshua and Evan Van Os; her sons' adoptive parents, David and Elaine Van Os; uncles, John Simmonds (Angela) and Glen Simmonds; cousin Gary (Jennifer Slater) and their children Sabrina, Steven, and Sarah; and cousin Ronald (Carmen) and their son Cole. She was predeceased by her birth mother, Agnes Brandon of Waywayseecappo First Nation, in 1993; and her partner of 11 years, Barry Lauterwasser, in 2020.

Tanya was born Tanya Joyce Brandon on August 12, 1978 to Agnes Brandon. Her mother was unable to care for her due to her alcohol dependency and Tanya was adopted by Cheryl when she was 17 months old.

Tanya was a quiet, shy child. She loved animals and had many pets over the years – goldfish, gerbils, a rabbit, several cats and a dog called “Happy”.

She enjoyed swimming, horseback riding, and dance classes. She had many friends in the neighbourhood.

She and her mother belonged to Project Opikihiwawin an organization of white families with adopted Indigenous children who sought to connect their children to their Indigenous heritage. They enjoyed potlucks with the other families, annual weekend retreats at Camp Arnes as well as educational sessions with Indigenous elders.

When Tanya was eight, a racist incident at school caused her to want to meet her birth family. She was able to meet aunts, uncles and cousins at Waywayseecappo First Nation. She enjoyed visiting her birth family annually for several years.

At age 12, she met her birth mother in Vancouver. Two years later, she attended her birth mother’s funeral at Waywayseecappo and met several half-siblings who lived in Saskatchewan. After her mother’s death, she no longer felt the need to connect with her birth family and her Indigenous heritage.

Tanya had a restless spirit. At 15 years of age, she hitchhiked from Winnipeg to Nova Scotia with 2 other girls. At 18, she hitchhiked to Vancouver with Duncan Bird. Tanya panhandled while Duncan, whose legal name was Paul Giesbrecht, squeegeed for money. They camped in Stanley Park in the summer and lived in the Downtown Eastside the rest of the year.

When she became pregnant in 1999, she traveled to Sechelt on the Sunshine Coast, where Elizabeth Konopasek, a friend of her mother’s, helped her find supports and a place to stay. Joshua was adopted at birth by the Van Os family, in an open adoption, as Tanya realized she was unable to care for him.

After Tanya and Duncan separated, she spent a brief time in Ontario but soon returned to Vancouver. She returned to her mother’s home in Winnipeg when pregnant with her second child. Evan was born on New Year’s Day in 2003. The baby’s father came to stay with her in Winnipeg but the relationship did not last. Tanya tried looking after Evan, but because of her alcohol dependency, he was apprehended and adopted by the same family that adopted her previous child.

For most of her life, Tanya suffered from depression and addiction to alcohol and various drugs. She attended several addiction treatment programs but remained sober for only a short time afterwards. Her longest periods of sobriety were during her pregnancies as she was determined that her children not be harmed by her alcohol use. During other periods of sobriety, she obtained her GED and a food safety certificate. She attended the culinary arts program at Winnipeg Technical College for several months. She overcame her drug addictions but was never able to stop her use of alcohol.

In November 2020, she was admitted to hospital with severe COVID-19 and was on a ventilator for 2 months. Her partner, Barry Lauterwasser, passed away while she was in hospital. She subsequently developed Long COVID which affected her energy level, lungs, kidneys and bones.

After her hospitalization, she lived with her mother. She was good company, helping her mother around the house. During this period of her life, she enjoyed art classes at the Winnipeg Art Gallery and swimming at Margaret Grant Pool. She loved going to horror movies with her friends and rediscovered her love of reading.

She will be deeply missed by her family, friends, and her two cats, Myles and Leila.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Winnipeg, 603 Wellington Crescent on Saturday, January 17th at 1 pm.

In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made in her memory to Siloam Mission, 300 Princess Street, Winnipeg MB R3B 1M3, a charity that provided many meals to Tanya and Barry, or a charity of your choice.

The family thanks the staff of St. Boniface Hospital for their excellent care during the last month of her life and Ethical Death Care for her final arrangements.

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ETHICAL DEATH CARE

Cremation & Life Celebrations

1833 Portage Avenue - Winnipeg

204-421-5501 - www.ethicaldeathcare.com

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