ARLA EVELYN KLINGBELL

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ARLA EVELYN KLINGBELL (nee McDonell) (nee Barry) March 1, 1948 - April 14, 2011 Arla's family invites you to join them in a celebration of her life on Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at 10:30 a.m. at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 657 Buckingham Road, Winnipeg. Remaining to forever cherish Arla's memory are her two children Grant (Sherry) McDonell and Sonya (Tom) Berthin. She will be dearly missed by her five grandchildren whom she adored: Steven, Staycee, Olivia, Hannah and Brooke. She leaves to mourn two sisters Edey (Rod) Adam, Ruth (Lorne) Fleck and her brother Wayne Barry; along with numerous other relatives and friends. She was predeceased by her parents, David and Evelyn Barry. Arla was born in Edmonton, Alberta and raised on a farm in St. Albert. She was actively involved in 4H and was crowned Dairy Princess. She married in 1969 and had her two children and she stayed at home to raise them, as taking care of her family was her number one priority. She volunteered at the school and also was a Cub Scout leader. In 1980, the family moved to Winnipeg, MB. Once her children were in high school, her entrepreneurial spirit initiated and she successfully operated her own business for many years. In addition to operating her own business she had other careers which included office manager, accountant, senior citizen fashion show facilitator, school bus driver, and delivered medicine to seniors. She loved giving back to the community and had completed volunteer work such as teaching adults how to read, assisting at CNIB, and volunteered for many years at the Victoria General Hospital Gift Shop. In 1996 she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and she fought it bravely with much tenacity. She was given 3 months to live and she beat it. We have always admired the strength and courage that she ascertained and through it all, her spirits never diminished. She was a very strong, independent woman who would help anyone at any time and was always thinking of others before herself. In 2009, she had a blood clot behind her knee which resulted in her having a fasciotomy which saved her the use of her leg. At that time it was discovered that her heart was working at a much lower capacity due to the amounts of chemotherapy and radiation that she endured while fighting her cancer. We are comforted in knowing that she passed as she slept and know that her mind and heart were filled with the fight for life and love for her family, yet her body could not keep up. Mom very recently moved into an assisted living residence and was so very happy there in her new room, with the huge windows with such wonderful views. We wish to thank the staff at Catherine Place and St. Boniface Hospital for their kindness, compassion, support and assistance during this difficult time. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to CancerCare Manitoba Foundation, 675 McDermot Avenue, Rm. ON1160, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 0V9. With love comes faith, and with faith, comes hope. As Mom always said, those are the three important elements in life: love, faith and hope, and love is the greatest of them all. NEIL BARDAL FUNERAL CENTRE (204) 949-2200 nbardal.mb.ca

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As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Apr 19, 2011