JEAN W. CUMMING

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JEAN W. CUMMING Our mom passed away suddenly but quietly on the afternoon of Wednesday, March 28, 2012, with family by her side following, a rich day of visits from family and friends. A service to honour Jean's life will be held under the leadership of Rev. Harland R. Marshall on Wednesday, April 4 at 2:00 p.m. in Chapel Lawn Funeral Home, 4000 Portage Avenue. Viewing will be one hour prior and interment and reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages memorial contributions to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba, 6 Donald Avenue, Winnipeg, MB. Chapel Lawn www.chapellawn.mb.ca 885-9715
Publish Date: Apr 2, 2012

JEAN W. CUMMING Our Mom was born on the family farm near Maryfield, SK on October 5, 1919, the fifth of 12 children of Joe and Hilda Knowles. She left the farm in the early 1940s to find work in Winnipeg and secured a position at Suzie's Inn on Corydon Avenue. There she met and fell in love with Ivan Cumming from Rossburn who worked for the CNR. They married in 1944 and spent the next few years living throughout with family in Fort Rouge. In 1946 they welcomed a son, James (Jim) and following the 1950 flood, they settled in their first real home on Brandon Avenue. Jo-Ann was born in 1952 and the family was complete. Early in her marriage, Mom worked at the Snack Counter in Eaton's basement. Then she settled down to be a great mother and wonderful homemaker. Her life was changed forever in 1968 with Ivan's sudden death. She was a 49 year old widow with a family to support and, despite her loss, no one ever saw her defeated. She began a career in a variety of food services, which culminated when she retired from the Dietary Department of the Municipal Hospitals (now Riverview Health Centre) in 1984. Mom was a member of the UCW at Riverview United and bowled in the Woman's League at Park Lanes for many years. She also attended The Salvation Army in Fort Rouge and St. Vital and had many friends there. Mom loved to travel. She went to Toronto, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan to visit Jo-Ann, toured the West Coast and Hawaii with her sister Margaret and family, visited Jim during his year in Mexico, saw The United Kingdom with Jo-Ann, took winter vacations in Mexico with her friend Mabel and was immensely proud of her two trips to see Jo-Ann in Sri Lanka. There is no doubt that Mom's ultimate joy in life came when Jim married Holly and her precious grandsons were born - Keelan in 1987 and Darby in 1989. She deeply loved her boys and her role as their Grandma, never missing a recital, concert or game. The boys, along with Jim, Jo-Ann and Holly will never forget the fabulous meals Mom could produce and all those Sunday night dinners, sharing stories and laughs over a perfect roast with potatoes and the best gravy in the world, followed by her specialty - cookies, cakes, squares, dainties and pies. Mom loved baseball and attended many Goldeye games with Jo-Ann, including one last summer where they caught a foul ball! She followed the progress of the new stadium while out on drives with Jim or Jo-Ann. She spent hours watching curling and, although she had never thrown a rock in her life, showed great understanding and pleasure in the game. She was proud to attend two Briers. Her decline in the last few weeks was softened by watching every draw of the Canadian Championships and the Women's Worlds. She had already checked the schedule for the Men's Worlds this week. Hurry Hard Canada! Jean was a good sister to seven brothers, Willie, Lawrence, Boyd, Alan, Dennis, Wilbert (all deceased) and Don (Vancouver), and a close friend to four sisters, Margaret, Edna, Ruth (all deceased) and Alice (Maryfield, SK). She was a faithful sister-in-law and never lost contact with Ivan's family. She was a favourite aunt and great-aunt to many nieces and nephews, remembering birthdays and attending weddings as often as possible. Mom's last 15 years were spent at South Osborne Place where she made many new friends and, until very recently, was active in shuffle board, Bingo, darts and social evenings. She was a hot shot Crokinole player, as well! Our Mom passed away suddenly but quietly on the afternoon of March 28, 2012 with family by her side following a rich day of visits from family and friends. She had a full life, a good life and is now free from a frail body that couldn't keep pace with her keen mind. She now has Eternal Life. We love her, miss her and let her go. The family would like to thank the Internal Medicine Department at St. Boniface Hospital, the kind and gentle Home Care workers who became Mom's friends, the many at South Osborne who gave extra help and support, including Elva, Richard and Linda, Richard and Sheila and Don. A service to honour Jean's life will be held under the leadership of Rev. Harland R. Marshall on Wednesday, April 4 at 2:00 p.m. in Chapel Lawn Funeral Home, 4000 Portage Avenue. Viewing will be one hour prior and interment and reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages memorial contributions to The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba, 6 Donald Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3L 0K6. Chapel Lawn www.chapellawn.mb.ca 885-9715
Publish Date: Apr 2, 2012

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Apr 02, 2012