DORENE MARY DENNEHY

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DORENE MARY DENNEHY 1922 - 2013 Dorene Mary Wallace, our mom, Dodie, was born in 1922 in Winnipeg to Victoria and Dr. Douglas Wallace, immigrants from England and Scotland. Her older sister Rosalind awaited at home and a few years later, they welcomed their baby sister Maxwell. Their home was full of love and the simple magic of growing up in Winnipeg between the wars. The girls suddenly lost their beloved "Daddy" to heart failure when Dodie was 16. She learned early to press on through adversity with positive energy and optimism, to never give up on the joy of living, to hold her loved ones tight and be tender to all, because everyone feels pain. Following in her dad's footsteps as best as resources could allow, Dodie enrolled at the Winnipeg General Hospital School of Nursing in 1942. Before graduating three years later as a proud RN, she had met Gerald Patrick Dennehy and soon after, they launched their exuberant life together. They made it a good one. By time, it was populated with children, Shaun, Kerry, Timothy, D'Arcy, Regan and Clancy. Later Dodie was delighted to welcome daughters-in-law and a son-in-law and later again, a passel of bouncing thriving grandchildren. It was all a rollicking, riotous, chaotic, jamboree. Standing beside Gerry, she was an indefatigable leader, a provider, seer, economist, medic, comedian, logistician, stylish hostess, maker of pies and community, preserver of pickles and relishes, egos and dreams, knitter, sewer and mender of hurt feelings, broken hearts and family dust ups. She loved every minute of it and adored us all, however we were, with unending love, feistiness, laughter and good practical common sense. And always with a sparkling grace and authenticity which drew everyone to her and made us so proud. Dodie was the rock upon which we all built such good lives. Her crisp mind was forever on the move. She started a bridge club as a kid at Kelvin High School and discovered not only a lifelong fascination with the depth and intricacy of the game but deep friendships with a group of marvelous women who were to share the rest of their lives together. She became a bridge Life Master at a tournament in Tennessee at the age of 84. In 1968 Dodie was recruited for a realtor position by Stevenson Real Estate. She leapt aboard with her usual gusto and turned her energies to the residential real estate market for over 20 years, achieving a Fellow of the Real Estate Institute in 1972 and subsequently bestowed with the honourable nick name "Dodie Dollars" by her very impressed children. Victoria Beach was a constant in Dodie's life from teenage hood on. Never one to stand on the sidelines and let someone else manage her vision and beliefs, she was elected a Municipal Counsellor in 1973 and remained solidly in office until she stepped down in 1995. All those years and many more, she presided over The Pink Cottage on First Avenue, administering her official duties as Madam Counsellor and keeping a lot of Victoria Beach wheels spinning on her gleaming red beach bike with the white wall tires. Dodie was a true blue and gold Winnipegger without a thought that there could ever possibly be a better place to live than her prairie city. She was a devotee of the Manitoba Badminton Club, the Fort Rouge Curling Club, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the Manitoba Theatre Centre, the local chapter of Toast Masters and hooted for the Bombers (or at least the west) at every annual neighborhood Grey Cup Party. Dodie Dennehy left us on September 18th to finally join so many that she loved in her life. Most of all, her beloved parents and sisters, her darling first born Shaun Patrick, her beautiful grandchildren Kelty and Riley, and most most of all, the love of her life, Gerald P. Our sweet wonderful mom was ready for this journey and we grieve and are joyful to say goodbye. Funeral services will be held at St. Georges Anglican Church, 280 Wilton Street, at 3:30 p.m. on October 4, 2013. In lieu of flowers, donations in Dodie's memory to the Kelty Patrick Dennehy Foundation at www.thekeltyfoundation.org, Box 35, Whistler, BC V0N 1B0 would be greatly appreciated. Cards can be sent to D'Arcy Dennehy, 218 Spinnaker Drive, Halifax, NS B3N 3C6.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Sep 28, 2013