CAROL ANNE WALLI

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CAROL ANNE WALLI

(nee DAVIDSON)

July 12, 1947 - August 10, 2025

Our beloved Anne passed away peacefully on Sunday, August 10 at the age of 78.

Anne is mourned and cherished by her loving and devoted husband of 54 years, Dr. Eric Walli, her children, Mark (Sue Wooles), Lisa (Dan Hlady), and John (Rachel Speller), her grandchildren, Jack and Olivia, Edan and Kane, and Aila and Kay, her sister Diana Davidson (Bill Lambert), her nieces, Andrea and Erika, her nephew Kevin, and her great-niece Sequoia. Anne was predeceased by her father Gordon Davidson (Jean Stiven) and her mother Carol Davidson (nee Cays).

Anne was born in Kingston, Ontario and grew up in Pointe Claire, Quebec. From an early age, she was most at home in nature and enjoyed canoeing. She shared her father's interest in birds and had a special love of butterflies. Anne spent many happy summers at camp Tanamakoon in Algonquin Park, first as a camper and then as a counsellor. She contributed to Tanamakoon's 100th anniversary book in 2024.

After graduating from high school, Anne went (back) to Kingston in 1965 to attend Queen's University, where she earned a B.A. in 1969 and then completed the course work for a Master's in comparative languages.

In January 1966, Anne met Eric, then a first year Queen's pre-Med student and her match for life. They were married at Sydenham Street United Church in Kingston in June 1971 and what followed was a series of adventures and a beautiful life together.

As Eric completed his medical training, they lived in Toronto (where Mark was born), and then Montreal (where Lisa was born), before moving to Winnipeg in 1975 (where John was born). Winnipeg became home base for the next 50 years. Anne spent almost every summer at the Walli family cottage in the Thousand Islands, which she cherished.

Music made Anne's soul sing. She took up the guitar and piano early on and was often found singing as she played. Blending music with her spiritual faith, she sang for many years in church choirs, first at Cedar Park United Church in Pointe Claire and then at the former St. Vital United Church in Winnipeg. Anne also felt a special connection to her Irish and Scottish heritage, expressed through dancing, listening to Celtic music, and playing the harp.

A passionate traveller, Anne always had a camera around her neck. She loved driving, crisscrossing Canada on road trips, seeing new places and visiting family and friends from Victoria to Halifax (not forgetting Whitehorse and Yellowknife). She usually insisted on stopping at scenic lookouts to appreciate (and photograph!) Canada's natural beauty. She also felt very fortunate to have travelled much of the world with Eric, and often with their long-time friends since university days, Darrell and Evelyn Picketts. Anne enjoyed recounting stories of her adventures in Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, South America and Africa, with the help of her many photo albums.

Anne loved games as a source of fun, not competition. She had a deck of cards beside the kitchen table and shelves full of board games, spending hours teaching her children and then her grandchildren to play. When she won, she would smile and say it was just luck - and she was always happy to play another round.

Anne was a gifted writer and wonderful correspondent. She preferred the handwritten letter but still managed to wear out an electric typewriter. She formed many lasting friendships with penpals around the world - with the collected stamps to prove it!

Anne was profoundly caring and compassionate. She reached out to those who were facing terminal illness or other hardships with tremendous sympathy and support. All her life and everywhere she went, she made deep and loving friendships. Two of the most special and enduring in Winnipeg were with Pam and Gord Holens, children of her beloved friend Vi, who died of cancer in 1982 at age 40. Having struggled with her own loss, Anne then developed and used her amazing ability to help others cope with grief and to heal. We who are grieving the loss of Anne now miss her all the more for that.

In her final years, Anne showed her incredible strength and resilience in coping with declining neurological function that challenged her writing, speech and mobility. Through all this, she retained her sense of humour and the sparkle in her eyes.

Anne was a wonderful, loving wife to Eric and mother to Mark, Lisa and John, giving them all roots to grow and wings to fly. Anne saw that her purpose in life was to share God's love, and she succeeded. She leaves a legacy of love that will sustain her family, her friends, and all those whose lives she touched.

We wish to express our sincere gratitude and appreciation to Dr. Cavers and all the nurses and staff on the 5th floor of the Victoria General Hospital for taking such good care of Anne.

A service for Anne will be held at Sydenham Street United Church in Kingston, Ontario on Friday, September 5 at 11:00 a.m., eastern time. The service will also be livestreamed by the church on its YouTube channel, URL: https://www.youtube.com/@SydenhamStreet

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to World Vision Canada or the Manitoba Camping Association Sunshine Fund, or to a charity of your choice.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Aug 16, 2025