Parcourez la nécrologie de Eileen Dawn Dionne September 24 1961
August 20 2023 résidant dans la province Manitoba pour le détail des funérailles
Obituary
It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Eileen Dawn Dionne on August 20, 2023, at the age of 61 years. She was never alone during her time at the hospital, including the moment she took her last breath. Left to keep her memory alive is her soul mate and husband Leo Dionne, two daughters Natalie (Garett) and Nicole (Corey), granddaughters Genevieve and Josephine, her parents Edward and Catherine Hailley, her brother Keith (pre-deceased Karen, David, Sarah, pre-deceased Daniel), sisters Patricia (Christopher, Delaney), Catherine (Tim, Sean, Lydia, Hailley) and Colleen (Joel, Maxine), as well as numerous extended family and the countless friends that she made over her 61 years on earth.
To those who knew Eileen, and to many who have only met her once, she would be described as magnetic, funny, supportive, vibrant, and kind. Whether it would be from coworkers and students who crossed her path in the 30 years she spent working as an educational assistant at St. Norbert Collegiate, or her daughters’ friends who grew up with Eileen around as she always encouraged the kids to hang at the house, she was and will always be a comforting memory to any person who was lucky to meet her. Her friends will tell you that her unwavering support and encouragement was monumental in their relationships. She was there for so many important moments in their lives, graduations, weddings, new babies, divorces, sickness, and death. No matter the occasion, you could count on Eileen’s presence to bring you some relief and make you feel loved.
Luckiest of all may have been her husband of almost 43 years, Leo Dionne and that’s what he would tell you. They were married on October 4, 1980, in Winnipeg, Manitoba after first meeting at a baby-sitting job in the 70s. Leo’s sister Rita had a babysitter for her two daughters and this babysitter brought over a friend, Eileen Hailley. The rest is history.
In their almost 43 years of marriage, they were able to share experiences together that continued to feed their long-lasting love. A trip to New Orleans at Mardi Gras, building memories with family on summer weekends at the lake when their daughters were younger, and getting together with many friends and families year-round when the girls were growing up. After Natalie and Nicole left the house, and Leo retired, he and Eileen worked on building a personal retreat outdoors at their home. Newer fences, raised garden beds, stone and flower beds, and a swing in the back to sit together in the evenings and on the weekends, talking, and sharing, and growing their love even more. Eileen was a phenomenal cook, and one of her final hopes was realized when she got to see her dream kitchen renovation come to life earlier this year. Although she wasn’t able to enjoy her new cooking space for nearly long enough, Leo has already expressed his desire to develop his baking skills to honor her joy for creating in the kitchen.
Eileen would go on about her daughters and how proud she was of them. They were her most prized accomplishments in life. She would often stroke their faces and whisper to them “I made you”. This went on until the end. Natalie and Nicole surpassed every hope she had for how her children would turn out. And the fact that she got two girls, sisters!, was everything to her.
Nicole is Eileen’s youngest daughter, or as she would sometimes affectionately refer to her, Ugly girl number 2. Yes, you read that correctly. Eileen had a twisted sense of humor. So true in fact that there was a time when Eileen, who worked at the same high school that her daughters attended, made an announcement across the entire school “Would ugly girl number 1 and ugly girl number 2 come to the office please”. She loved her daughters madly. And her pride in them was evident whenever she spoke of them. When Nicole decided to go back to university to become a nurse, Eileen couldn’t have been happier for her. Not only did Eileen love medical reality tv, but now she was able to have someone give her firsthand descriptions of surgery wounds and infections and combative patients and incredible stories that only working in a hospital could provide. She was so proud of Nicole, and the dedication and discipline it took for her to go back to school and accomplish her dream of becoming a nurse. Nicole is building a life full of love with Corey, full of adventure with her travel, and full of success as a nurse. Her skillset as a nurse, matched with Nicole’s innate ability to care for someone, would be a memory for all the family who watched Nicole take care of her mother in her final weeks at her hospital bedside, every day. Nicole would be there for Eileen’s last breath, caring for her yet another morning after being at her bedside overnight. Eileen would have been so proud.
Natalie is Eileen’s oldest daughter, ugly girl number 1. Eileen would joke that Natalie went to school long enough to be a doctor, but she just works with plants now. It took Eileen years to learn how to write “agronomist” and she would carry a piece of paper around with the definition of an agronomist so she could tell people what Natalie did for a living. Once Natalie moved into agricultural sales it became much easier for Eileen to say. She was proud of the life Natalie had built for herself, finding herself a perfect partner in Garett, and building a beautiful home outside of Winnipeg. Like Eileen, she was raising two little girls, and Nana couldn’t have been happier to be along for the ride.
Almost 34 years after Eileen had her first daughter, Natalie would give birth to her first daughter, and Eileen’s first granddaughter. Once Genevieve showed up, Eileen wouldn’t stop talking about her. And then three years after that, Natalie would have her second daughter. The morning Natalie and Garett facetimed (2020, pandemic!) her mom and dad to introduce them to their new grandchild will be a core memory for Natalie. She will tell you that her mother was crying before anything was said (the of the baby was a surprise), and when they said, “Meet Josephine Nicole Aubin”, she somehow burst into even more tears. She couldn’t be more excited to have two granddaughters. And she went to extreme lengths to make sure that her home was exactly what it was to her girls’ friends growing up, and to family visiting; a place that felt as close to home as possible, sometimes people would say even better. At one point she bought a small crib for Genevieve at their place. And converted a room entirely to her granddaughters’ delight. Although their time with Nana was unfairly short, her granddaughters will have fond memories of their Nana’s love.
Eileen’s love and level of care she provided wasn’t just for her husband, daughters, and granddaughters. It extended to many people. Her parents and siblings will tell you that Eileen was the best of everyone. She was a nurturing and devoted daughter and sister. She was an integral part of the fabric of this family and her loss is a deep hole that will never be filled, but simply navigated around as the family moves on. She was an aunty to many nieces and nephews who will tell you stories of how aunty Eileen was hilariously sarcastic, was a good liar, spent countless hours with them growing up and always had the best baking! Her sisters will tell you she’s a CCF (if you know, you know) but the absolute best sister you could ask for. Her siblings would say, she would raise your kid for you if you couldn’t, she would shelter you if you couldn’t, and she would feed you if you couldn’t. She would fight for you, and she would support you. And her parents would tell you that she was truly a thoughtful woman, responsible, and always trying to take care of those she loved. She was an outstanding daughter who made them ever so proud.
Eileen was a nurturer. She was a warm embrace. She was a good person. And she would tell you that you could find these qualities in people who love animals. Eileen’s love of animals was very strong. Some would argue stronger than her and Leo’s love when it came to an injured animal. And that’s how he would explain it to you if you asked him this: “Is it true you helped Eileen trap an injured goose at the pond in the park and bring it to a safe haven to be saved?”. He did. He just wanted her to be happy. That was why Leo did a lot of what he did. Not because he wanted to do the same thing as Eileen. But because he loved her more than he disliked the task she was asking him to help her with, like chasing an injured goose around a park to capture it and take it to the vet. This included adopting many animals over the years. But Leo would eventually fall for (most) of them. And as Eileen’s days grew shorter, she made Leo promise to take care of her animals when she’s gone; a promise he is keeping today.
To all the doctors and nurses Eileen had over the years, and there were many, thank you. Thank you for your efforts in caring for Eileen and trying to heal her. In the last year of her life there were a few more frequent doctors that we would like to acknowledge. Dr. Silvaggio and Susan at HSC, thank you for always returning our calls, and taking the time to explain in greater detail when we needed it. Thank you to Dr. Goldenberg, Dr. Fatoye, Mona and the staff at CancerCare at Victoria Hospital. And finally, the staff at Victoria Hospital on the 5th floor; Dr. Penner, Dr. Young, Dr. Dodd, Dr. Loewen, Nikko, Madonna, Robert, Rachelle, Yvonne, Larisa, Erika, Bernice, Dara, Heather, Marielle, April, Jeevan, Sofiya, Ronna, Ikram, Nancy, Annalise, Albert, Ceilita, Karen, Jo-Ann, Matt, and the countless health care aides and others we may have missed mentioning here that supported the family in the hospital during Eileen’s last weeks. You were all incredible individuals who were respectful, considerate, thoughtful, and kind to us as we sat there every day for 25 days. You will always be remembered for making us feel like we were well taken care of.
Eileen asked that there be no funeral service. Her ashes will be spread at one of her favorite places at a later date.
She wasn’t a regular mom; she was a cool mom.
And she will be missed immensely.
**Eileen had a short and arduous battle with pancreatic cancer. Any gifts for the family can be made as donations to Pancreatic Cancer Canada in honor of Eileen. Other causes she really liked to support were no kill animal shelters in Winnipeg. She had a deep love for animals.**
To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Eileen Dawn Dionne, please visit our
Tree Store.
Read more
September 24 1961
August 20 2023
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Eileen Dawn Dionne September 24 1961
August 20 2023..
Décès pour la Ville: Winnipeg, Province: Manitoba
avis deces Eileen Dawn Dionne September 24 1961
August 20 2023
necrologie Eileen Dawn Dionne September 24 1961
August 20 2023
Nous offrons nos plus sincères condoléances à la famille et aux amis de Eileen Dawn Dionne September 24 1961
August 20 2023 et espérons que leur mémoire pourra être une source de réconfort pendant cette période difficile. Vos pensées et vos mots aimables sont grandement appréciés.