DAWN KAREN CYR (nee RICHLEW)

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DAWN KAREN CYR (Nee RICHLEW) April 1, 1947 - October 18, 2014 This is a tribute to one of the most remarkable women of our times. When Dawn walked into a room, ones first impression was her blond hair and her beautiful eyes, but after talking with Dawn, everyone soon realized that Dawn's inner beauty outshone her physical presence. With an extraordinary deep feeling of love for people (family, old friends, new friends, business associates and even strangers, she could and often did help) the love Dawn gave was returned to her with affection, love and respect by all who knew her. Dawn was often the first one in to help, whether it be a new important cause or creating an outstanding feast for large gatherings; oh yes, Dawn could cook. When Dawn and I entertained, which was quite often (we loved to have people over) Dawn was never short of lively conversation and lots of good food. We had an open door policy at our home, drop by anytime, no invitation necessary. We were always glad to see our friends and family. My family truly loved Dawn. Dawn treated my mother with love and respect, my sisters treated Dawn as a sister and my brother thought Dawn was my perfect match. In retrospect I think my family loved Dawn better than they liked me.... and I have to agree with them. We were soulmates. I knew Dawn for a large part of her adult life and watched her grow more beautiful every day, achieving a true evolution of self worth and independence in her growth as a person. Scuba Diving and hang gliding in her 40's; downhill skiing in her 50's (Dawn was scared of heights but we skied Whistler, Tahoe, Russell, etc.). In Dawn's 60's, she learned to sail and she made a wonderful captain. We loved to travel, and travel we did. Dawn's love of Italy, the food of Tuscany, the old cities, the people, my relatives and Venice (meeting our good friends Jim and Pat and an Italian opera in Venice, how good is that)! We travelled to Croatia, Greece, Mexico, Cuba, Bahamas, Florida, New York, New Orleans and China (our friend Likun and Lui showing us their home town of Beijing). We talked of going to Spain and Paris in 2015, as one of Dawn's wishes was to see Paris in the spring. Dawn was a wonderful painter and artist. She could capture the essence of a scene and pull you right in, making you feel the beauty. Painting or photography, Dawn was the best and, being very typical of Dawn, she gave the best away to friends and family. Dawn's art work really shone in her abstracts. One could look at them for hours and get different interpretations; a true artist. Dawn's artistry extended to her gardens; beautiful colours, beautiful presentation, a true art form in itself for the entire neighbourhood to enjoy. Dawn was very proud of her children, as she should be, they have been taught by the best. Dawn's grandchildren were the light of her life and her biggest fears were for their future. Both Dawn and I had well founded fears that we, as a generation, have damaged the earth and that our grandchildren will not be able to experience the wonderful earth as we have. Dawn and I had a big love for nature, whether it be cruising the beautiful Lake of the Woods, skiing the Rockies or experiencing the most southern tip of Greece, the beauty of nature is our most precious gift. Not what man has built, but nature with its animals, mountains, lakes and oceans. We dearly want to preserve this for our grandchildren and future generations. Yes, Dawn's yellow Smart Car was a statement, "use less... stop the global warming" for the grandkids. On this note we can definitely state: Dawn would share her opinions, whether you asked for them or not. That is a confident woman. When Dawn was diagnosed with cancer in the spring of 2013, we set out on a mission to look at all treatments as Dawn was preparing for the fight of fights. We went to Toronto, called hospitals in the USA, talked to researchers around the word, in Australia, England and Spain looking for answers and possible treatments. Dawn always had questions for her doctors and wanted to understand the best possible approach to this deadly affliction. Even when Dawn lost her hair, her inner beauty shone through. It was a hard fight and we tried to remain positive, alas, Dawn did succumb to the cancer. If you are interested, a donation to CancerCare Manitoba in Dawn's name would be a fitting farewell gift. Dawn and I had many of the same philosophies, the one we shared the most was "always leave a place better than what you found it". Dawn did just that, she touched the hearts of all who knew her, and left them better for it. We will all miss Dawn with great sadness, but we should celebrate and raise a glass to Dawn ... as Dawn knew how to live life on her own terms. How much better can one get. Robert Fabro

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Oct 25, 2014