ALLISON W. PAUL

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ALLISON W. PAUL 1950 - 2008 Surrounded by love, our very dear sister Allison, passed away peacefully at home, Tuesday, November 25, at the age of 58. Allison was predeceased by her father Alfred (1977), mother Vera in May of this year and by two brothers: Edmund (1947) and Vernon (1971). Allison will be deeply missed by her sisters: Claudette Gallagher, Arlene (Tom) Elendiuk, Vivian Paul, and by her brother, Clyde (Pearl) Paul. Saddened by the loss of their sweet Auntie, are Lyle, Brent, Randy, Cynthia, Kelly and Andrea Gallagher (USA), Lisa Boudrie (Peter) and Lara Maracie (Ryan) in Winnipeg; Michael, Claire, Erica and Sarah Gordon in Vancouver; Jason, Jennifer, Jeffrey and Julie Paul in St. Catharines; as well as great-nephew Avery Gallagher and great-niece Ava Boudrie. Allison will also be missed by all of the Elendiuk family. Born March 2, 1950, Allison was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. That never stopped her. She was smart, funny, kind, loving, generous and quick to learn new things. Allison loved spending time with her family and friends. She loved to swim, bowl, dance, play bingo and watch movies. Her all-time favourite movie was Annie . Allison enjoyed playing both guitar and piano and would often surprise us with a little recital after a family dinner. In her younger years, Allison attended Kinsmen School. In her early 20's, after leaving the family home, Allison lived for many years at the Winnserv group home on Canora. Later, Allison moved to a small apartment on Grant, where (with support from her family and Winnserv staff) she was able to live independently, for over 13 years. From 1971 - 2001, Allison worked at VersaTech Industries Inc. She loved going to work and enjoyed all the many social activities that VersaTech sponsored. The onset of Alzheimer's brought many changes to Allison's life. She had to leave her little apartment on Grant and return to the safety of a group home setting, first at Consul, then to her final home on Dingle. The last eight years of Allison's life were not without challenges, but through it all, Allison retained her sense of humour and her sweet nature. After VersaTech, Allison continued attending the Day Program until her official retirement in August of 2007. We want to acknowledge and thank all of the great staff at VersaTech for making Allison's many years there so meaningful and for taking such good care of her. We also want to thank the incredibly kind, compassionate staff at Winnserv and the the Dingle house for taking such wonderful care of Allison, especially during the past few months as Allison's health failed. There are too many of you to name, but you know who you are, and we thank you! Allison taught us many things by her gentleness, patience and perseverance. Most importantly, she taught us the true meaning of unconditional love . Flowers are gratefully declined. In lieu of flowers, donations in Allison's memory may be made to Winnserv Inc., Special Olympics, The Manitoba Alzheimer's Society or the charity of one's choice. Cremation has taken place. A celebration of Allison's life will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, December 1, at Neil Bardal Inc., 984 Portage Ave (entrance on Aubrey Street). NEIL BARDAL INC. 949-2200 nbardal.mb.ca

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Nov 29, 2008