LEA "LIL" TAYLOR

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our dear Auntie Lil, peacefully at West Park Manor, on October 9, 2020, at 88 years of age.

She is predeceased by her parents Steve and Katherine Sedun; the love of her life Peter Taylor; as well as brothers, George, Chester, Jim, Victor, and Orest.

Lil will be dearly missed by her loving brother Len Sedun; many nieces and nephews; as well as great nieces and great nephews, especially Nicki, who took extra special care of Lil in her final years with regular visits and treats.

As a young girl growing up in a household with six brothers, Lil played a significant role in helping Baba & Dedo, teaching her brothers how to act and dress (i.e. making hand-me-downs look good), always saying "We are not poor! We are just $$$ challenged!!”.  Rest assured, if Lil had anything to do with it, her family members never ever lacked for love and support.

Lil was a very intelligent and inspiring student, being the first female high school president ever at her high school (St. Johns Tech). Anyone who knew her could tell very quickly that she was a born teacher, in fact, she started teaching as young as 16 years of age out in the country, until she went to university to obtain her teacher’s degree.

Lil enjoyed her years at university, not only as an exceptional scholar, but also a talented athlete by playing on the university basketball team for three years. Graduate school was also where she met the love of her life, Peter Taylor. The two of them moved to Ottawa soon after, although sadly, Peter passed away due to a sudden heart attack years later, leaving Lil a widow at only 44 years of age. Still devoted to her new life and career in Ottawa, and her beautiful cottage get-away at Lac Sam in the Gatineau, Lil stayed in Ottawa for many years. She never forgot her roots in Winnipeg though, and always made the trip back every summer to visit Baba & Dedo and her brothers and their families.  We will never forget how much we all looked forward to her visits back to Winnipeg, where ALL of us would welcome her home at the airport with a loud “Hi Mom!”. She would cringe, and pretend she didn’t know us, all the while with a huge smile on her face. And one can never forget the year that her niece Heather and sister-in-law Pat held her dog “Titch” hostage, leaving a ransom note demanding perogies for his return!  

Lil eventually decided to move back to Winnipeg, and settled nicely into a beautiful bungalow in Old Tuxedo near Assiniboine Park where she loved to walk her dogs.  It was during the latter part of her career that she was a guidance counsellor at Kelvin High School, where she was dearly loved by all of her students. While visiting at Xmas one year, Len remembers driving her to deliver care packages to students in need or in trouble, on her own dollar of course, because that was just the kind of person she was. 

Auntie Lil had a unique way of making us all feel special. She truly cared about what was important to each and every one of us, and what was happening in our lives, or in our children’s lives, at any given time. Lil always made us feel so welcome and cared for in her home, whenever we would come to stay or to just sit and have tea. She took great pride in creating a beautiful home and garden, and in taking care of herself.  She did exercises every day of her life (until she couldn’t, of course), and would ration her treats (jelly beans, to be exact) to maintain her slim figure. How many of us have that kind of discipline? None of us!  She always cherished her close friendships, and made a point of keeping in touch no matter where they lived over the decades. She loved the arts, and took joy in sharing this love with anyone who wanted to join her, having season tickets to the theatre and the ballet year after year. She had an incredible work ethic, and was so passionate and committed to anything she put her mind to.

Lil was a remarkable woman, and a wonderful role model for all of us. She lived a life with integrity, goodness and kindness, and we are all blessed to have known and loved her.

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Lil'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. They also encourage the sharing of photos, memories, and stories by making use of the comment section on this page.

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Due to the pandemic and the great distance that separates all of her nieces and nephews, we are sharing these caring thoughts in lieu of a funeral. In our Auntie Lil’s memory, and to honour her love of dogs throughout her life, donations may be considered for the Humane Society wherever you reside. 

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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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