Shirley Lewco (nee Fillion)
Shirley passed away peacefully on July 27, 2020 at the Boyne Lodge in Carman, MB. with her husband George by her side. She had battled dementia for the last several years.
Shirley was born in Morris, MB on November 6, 1945 to Edward and Rose (nee Clairmont) Fillion. She was raised in Fort Garry. After High School, Shirley worked at Great West Life Assurance Co. until she became a stay-at-home mom.
Through her brother Alfred, Shirley met the love of her life George at a wedding social. They were married on July 17, 1965 and spent the next 55 years together side by side, except for the last year and a half when her illness prevented her from being able to live at home. She said that the happiest day of her life was when she married George and he was the person she trusted most in the world.
Shirley and George started their family in Winnipeg and then moved to the farm in Sperling in the Summer of 1978. It was quite the adjustment for this city girl to live in the country, but Shirley worked hard to maintain the yard and garden and participate in some community activities. Over the years she helped to raise chickens and learned to use a riding lawn mower and rototiller.
Aside from farm life, Shirley liked to refer to herself as a “domestic engineer”. And she was exactly that. She was the type of mom who showed her love through actions rather than words. She spent the summers picking vegetables from the garden and pickling, freezing, and canning for the winter months. She also spent countless hours washing, ironing, and mending clothes. At the end of the day, she always had a hot meal prepared for her family. Shirley had always dreamed of getting a teaching degree, but while she wasn’t able to achieve that, she was a great teacher to her kids over the years and spent many nights helping with their homework. She also passed on her love of reading to her kids and rarely said no to their requests to get a book from the Scholastic Book Order or check out books from the rural library.
In her spare time, she enjoyed doing solitary activities like word puzzles, watching afternoon soap operas, and reading novels. Her idea of a vacation was not going to the family cottage where she simply transplanted her life of cooking and cleaning to a different setting. Her favourite vacations were the family road trips they would take once a year to different places in Canada and the US, playing slot machines at casinos, eating dinners at restaurants and staying in hotels; no cooking or cleaning involved!
Shirley is survived by her husband George, and their children and grandchildren: son Trevor (Jo-Ann), Zachary (Breanna) and Joshua; daughter Karen (David), and son Curtis (Rena), Chanese, Keringten, Jeremy, Cassandra, Cheyanne, Mervin, Ashley, Brody, Michael and Lucas. She is also survived by her brother Alfred and many in-laws and nephews and nieces.
She was predeceased by her parents Edward and Rose, sister Edna, and brothers Edgar and Norbert.
A private service will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Boyne Valley Hostel Corporation or the Alzheimer’s Society of Manitoba.
Thank you to the staff at the Boyne Lodge for taking such good care of Shirley and for making sure her last days were comfortable.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Shirley Lewco nee Fillion 2020..
Death notice for the town of: Carman, Province: Manitoba