ELEANOR (EL) NEUSTAEDTER (FAST)

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ELEANOR (EL) NEUSTAEDTER (nee FAST) It is with deep sadness that we announce El's passing on the afternoon of Sunday, April 29, 2012, at the age of 77, following a short battle with leukemia. Her strong faith and fighting spirit never wavered, and she has now gone home to be with her Lord and Saviour. She was so dearly loved and will be sadly missed and forever cherished by her husband of 54 years, Al; her son Darryl and his children Alexa, Cole, and Mitch; her daughter Rae Eger (Doug) and their children Graham, Scott and Alec; her son Curt (Jo-Anne) and Jo's sons Joey, Cody and Shane; and great-grandchildren Emily, Ezra and Avery. She also leaves to mourn numerous brothers, sisters, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, cousins and many, many close friends. El was predeceased by her daughter-in-law Cindy, and by her parents, her brother Clarence, her sister Verna, and her sister Elsie (ten hours earlier on Sunday). El, born in 1934, in Kleefeld, MB, to Henry D. and Helen Fast, was the eighth of 10 children. Raised on a fruit and vegetable farm, she and her siblings enjoyed growing up in a beautiful rural environment. She happily took on the responsibility of helping to raise her younger siblings Verna and Dennis, and she and all of her brothers and sisters have remained very close throughout their lives. El and Al were married in 1957, and they became inseparable partners in the journey of life. Beginning in 1959, they welcomed three children into their lives over an eight year period. They were her pride and joy, and she parented with passion, strength and wisdom, and was such a patient and skillful listener. El loved the annual four-week summer family trip trekking around Canada and the U.S. with the camper, always excited for the next adventure with Al and the kids. She took great pride in each of her children's accomplishments and later, those of her grandchildren. Time spent with the kids and grandkids was a priority, and always a joy. El was a voracious reader, and loved music, movies, sewing, decorating, rearranging the furniture, crosswords, playing cards, curling, coffee with friends, wiener roasts, sitting around the campfire, summer days at Falcon Lake, and annual winter trips to Hawaii and Arizona. While El held several jobs during her lifetime, she worked for many years at her brother Harry's Fast Insurance, and later for the Government of Canada in Income Security Programs administration. She loved her work, finally retiring in 2004, enriched with many lifelong friendships. El and Al attended Grant Memorial Baptist Church for the past 15 years, prior to which they were members at Burrows Bethel Church. El had many dear and beloved friends from both of these congregations. The family would like to thank the staff in E.R. and D4 at Health Sciences Centre. Their thoughtful and gentle care was so much appreciated by El and her family. El's guardian angel, Tiffany Kautz of CancerCare, was so helpful as the family navigated its way through the course of these past several weeks, and we are so thankful. We also thank Dr. Rajat Kumar and Rose Flatt of CancerCare, and Dr. Vi Dao, for their care, guidance and support. A celebration of El's life was held on Friday, May 4, 2012. In her memory, donations may be made to Samaritan's Purse or CancerCare Manitoba Foundation.

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As published in Winnipeg Free Press on May 05, 2012