DIANA ELIZABETH SHAPIRO

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DIANA ELIZABETH SHAPIRO July 24, 1941 - February 27, 2016 Diana Elizabeth Shapiro (née White) died peacefully on February 27, 2016 in Calgary, AB after a lengthy illness. She leaves her sons Joel and Dan (Alexa Briggs), and granddaughter Livya. She was predeceased by her husband Elvin, parents Herb and Helen White, and sisters Audrey Klausen and Carol Bain. Diana was a deeply compassionate, caring person guided by her sense of justice and desire to help others. Following her BA and BSW at University of Manitoba, Diana earned a MSW at University of Toronto. She married Elvin in 1966 in Toronto and moved back to Winnipeg where they raised their two sons. Diana loved working with children at Winnipeg Children's Hospital and Child Guidance Clinic. During her 24 years as a school social worker at Child Guidance Clinic, she helped many children with developmental disabilities and their families. Diana was an adventurous spirit who loved visits with friends and family, books, music, theatre, sports and travel. Highlights of her student days included playing on the University of Manitoba basketball team and working summers across Canada at hotels such as Chateau Lake Louise and St-Andrews-by-the-Sea. She made lifelong friends at school, in her travels, and at work and was warm and open with everyone she met. Diana loved to laugh, and her sense of humour and ability to look on the bright side helped her through good times and bad. Another constant in her life was spending summers at Matlock on Lake Winnipeg surrounded by friends and family. Diana was a rock for her family. She was always there for her children while caring for Elvin through his 12-year illness, and she looked after her mother during Helen's later years. Diana found time in retirement for many wonderful trips, including to Africa, Australia and New Zealand, Scotland, and Churchill to finally see the polar bears. Once Diana developed dementia, she moved to Calgary in 2011 to live with Dan and to be closer for Joel to visit from Seattle. In caring for Diana, her sons lived her example of kindness and compassion. To the end, Diana found joy in music and conversation, nature and the outdoors and closeness with family. Diana was overjoyed to welcome the arrival of her granddaughter Livya in March 2015 and enjoyed many happy visits with her. The family would like to thank the staff at Walden Heights for their wonderful care and all of the friends and family who supported Diana and stayed in touch. In particular, thanks to Diana's in-laws Gloria and Allan Cantor, cousins Alex and Valerie White, and her dear friends Doreen and Don Phimister who offered such love and support to Diana over the years. A service will be held in Diana's memory in Winnipeg in August, 2016. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer Society of Canada, or the Canadian Diabetes Association.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Mar 05, 2016