VIOLET MAY DEL BIGIO (WEIR)

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VIOLET MAY DEL BIGIO (nee WEIR) Grateful for a life of so many blessings, Violet quietly said good-bye to this world on Monday, February 5, 2007 at 84 years of age. Welcoming her at Heaven's gate will be her beloved husband Bill; parents, James and Elizabeth, and siblings, Roy, Gordon, Thomas, Laura and Blanche. Left to cherish her memory are her daughter, Linda (Gerry), and their children, Suzanne, Jennelle, and Tyler and her son, Ken (Terri), and his family, Ian and Shannon. Violet is also survived by her precious sisters, Reita Weir, Cora Corscadden, and Myrtle Hawkins and her brother-in-law, Walter Hawkins. As a mother, grandmother, nurse, friend, and gardener, Violet leaves a legacy of love, care, and nurturing. From simple beginnings as the fifth of nine children born on the farm in Windthorst, Saskatchewan, on July 7, 1922, Violet learned the value of hard work and the joy of family. In 1944 she graduated as a registered nurse from Providence Hospital in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. She sought new advancements in medicine and later became a surgical head nurse at the Winnipeg General Hospital. In 1948 Violet married Bill Del Bigio. During their family years she nursed casually until being asked to care for the first person in Winnipeg to have an implanted pacemaker. This was a great experience of care and commitment. Upon retirement, Mom and Dad enjoyed gardening, traveling abroad, and the joy of each grandchild. Even as her vision faded, she made personalized needlepoint Christmas stockings for each one. She enjoyed knitting, bowling, entertaining, playing bridge and mahjong and was an active member of St. Andrew's Church. Violet's last seven years were so happily spent in the vibrant Wellington retirement community. There she maintained a lifetime of interests amid the friendship of many wonderful people and staff. Special thanks to Dr. Jowett, Home Care at the Wellington, and to the many caring hands at Riverview Health Centre. A celebration of Violet's life will take place at 2:00 p.m. on February 8 at St. Andrew's Church, 255 Oak Street. Interment will be at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Riverview Health Centre or to the Western Aviation Museum.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Feb 07, 2007