KIRSTEN LENA HILDERMAN

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KIRSTEN LENA HILDERMAN In a poem announcing Kirsten's birth on July 6, 1994, her parents Barb and Dave Hilderman, predicted the joy their first child would bring to them: she would be daddy's girl . Little did they know the rosebud lips they loved would also bring happiness and peace to so many in her short life. She tragically passed away on September 11, 2010, from brain injuries sustained in a highway accident 10 days earlier. Kirsten had a rare gift of making people feel intimately connected to her even after a first meeting. She loved children and with her tom-boy background quickly bonded with young girls and boys alike. Whether playing hide and seek with the younger neighbourhood kids or one on one activity, she nurtured special relationships. She was an idol to her brother Cole, cheering him at every hockey game, helping in the dressing room, supporting him in all of his ups and downs. She was her sister Brooke's best friend, including her in her circle of companions. Her Mom was her confidante and she in turn was her Mom's rock. Kirsten's Mom's place was a second home to her circle of friends who regularly dropped in or slept over. Between Facebook and text messaging she maintained contact with a wide variety of people; her empathetic nature would find her counselling others well past midnight many nights of the week, sometimes to her mother's dismay. Kirsten had attended Calvin Christian School and only this year registered at Garden City Collegiate. She was a baseball pitcher and a soccer goalie and excelled at both, leading her baseball team to several City Championships. She loved the outdoors, camping and fishing, and anything that made noise and put the wind in her face. On the day of the accident she had been riding her motocross bike and been horseback riding. Kirsten yearned to travel and in the past year had taken trips to Toronto with her Mom and step-dad, had been to Banff skiing, and to Chicago on a school band trip. She remembered fondly her trip to Minneapolis with her father a few years ago to watch motocross. Music guided her life, playing the piano to reflect her emotions, playing guitar to late in the night and constantly listening to her Ipod. Her greatest source of entertainment was attending concerts, especially supporting emerging bands at the Park Theatre. In addition to her parents and siblings she leaves behind to mourn her grandparents Jennie and Dave Hilderman, her Dad's partner Cheryl Labossiere with her children Ethan and Ariana, her Mom's partner, Grant Van Iderstine with his children Robyn, Julia, and Micah, and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins with whom she maintained contact. She is predeceased by grandparents Bill and Pat Senkiw. Thank you to the PICU staff at Health Sciences Centre and the volunteers and staff at Ronald McDonald House for the compassionate care and support they gave. A service to celebrate her life will be held on Saturday, September 18, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. at Covenant Reform Church at 653 Knowles Avenue. Glen Eden Funeral Home 338-7111

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Sep 17, 2010