LAURA MAI ZANEWICH (ASMUNDSON)

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LAURA MAI ZANEWICH (nee ASMUNDSON) It is with great sadness that the family announces the passing of our dear mother Laura after a courageous battle with both cancer and kidney disease. Surrounded by family, Laura passed away peacefully on Saturday, May 30, 2015 at the age of 82 years. Mom was born in Coderre, SK on May 4, 1933, the seventh of 12 children of Asmundur and Kristbjorg Asmundson. In 1937, the family moved to a "paradise-like" riverside farm in Westbourne, MB. Mom fondly talked about the wonderful times she and her 11 siblings enjoyed - playing baseball, swimming in the Whitemud River in the summer and skating on it's ice in the winter. After leaving the family farm, Mom first worked for the Searle Grain Company in Winnipeg. It was in Winnipeg that she met a handsome, gregarious young man named Paul Zanewich who, she said, had a "wonderful smile". In July of 1954 they married and spent the next 46 years together until Dad passed away in June 2000. Laura and Paul raised two daughters, Paula (Richard) and Leanna (Darryl and daughter Brynn), and five boys, Kevin (Christine and son David), Gary (children Danielle, Breanna, Dallas, and Joshua, his partner Eileen and her children, Melisa, Shawna and Brandon), Darcy (sons Jared, Chase, his wife Suzie and her daughters Chelsea and Kaitlyn), Robert (Kim and daughter Madelyn) and Leslie (Laura and daughter Ava). For 40 years, Mom worked alongside her husband Paul for Gods River Lodge, a renowned fishing resort in NE Manitoba. While working for "the lodge," she also raised seven children. She was a devoted mother and we children were everything to her - she made sacrifice after sacrifice to put our needs first. Being close to family was always Laura's first joy in life and it brought her tremendous fulfillment. We will always appreciate Mom's loving care for Dad during his struggle with Parkinson's Disease and heart ailments. There is no doubt that this increased the quality and the length of his life. She was always ready to support her family and friends in their time of need. Mom faced the end of her life knowing that her values of generosity and love for family would continue to live on in her children and grandchildren. In addition to her children, grandchildren, and three beautiful great-grandchildren, Laura will be dearly missed by her sisters Helga Gibson and Betty (Clare) Hicks; her brother, Harvey (Carolyn) Asmundson, and many nieces and nephews. Mom was predeceased by her husband Paul in 2000, her son Kevin in 2003, her parents, Kristbjorg and Asmundur Asmundson, brothers Edward and Harold Asmundson, sisters Anna Burnell, Kristjana Zaporzan, Frances Brown, Solveig Gibson, Asta Mitchell and Clara Hadfield. Laura's greatest love was serving her God, Jehovah. Through her studies of the Holy Scriptures, Laura became confident that in God's due time, He would resurrect her to live forever on a cleansed earth, a world free of sickness, suffering and death as originally intended (Revelation 21:3, 4). Mom found great comfort in Bible verses such as Isaiah 9:6, Philippians 4:6, 7, and John 5:28, 29. She would encourage everyone to read and ponder over these scriptures. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the East Kildonan Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses for the love and support they provided to Mom. The staff of the Riverview Health Centre, Palliative Care Unit 3E, have our gratitude for their exceptionally attentive care and empathy. We'd also like to thank Dr. Walters and the staff at the St. Boniface Hospital Renal Health Clinic, as well as the Home Care staff, especially Jay, Nan, and Margaret who helped to keep Mom at home as long as possible. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m., on Saturday, June 27 at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, 937 Gateway Road, Winnipeg. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the charity of your choice.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jun 06, 2015