SYLVIA NEDOMYS

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SYLVIA NEDOMYS (nee HUIZINGA) 1946 - 2015 A quiet soul had her course tragically changed on Sunday, October 17, 2015 and passed away peacefully on Thursday, October 22, 2015 at the young age of 69 years. Sylvia was born in the picturesque town of Venlo in the Netherlands. She immigrated to Canada with her family in 1953. It was her love for her daughters that defined who she was. Mom was led by angels to join her parents Anne and Hubert, her sister Mary and her grandson Jaime. She will never be forgotten by her three daughters Susie (Lou), Jackie, Lorraine; her brothers John and Gilles and her grandkids, Thomas, Sean, Louie, Nicole and Kristen. They had the ability to play court jesters and tease g-ma, which in turn brought out her hard earned giggles and laughter. She will also be missed by Pete, Chris and her various in-laws and out-laws whose lives were touched by her in many different ways. At first glance, Mom's presence would not jump off the "page". What made our Mom special were her traits that could not be weighed or measured. She was the ultimate model of how to be strong when being strong is the only thing you have left. Mom was kind, quiet, very vulnerable, and stubborn and sometimes direct. She shied away from asking favours, the least selfish, most giving Mom one could ever ask for. She gave us girls everything... and asked for nothing in return. However there was also another side to Mom that many could not see and perhaps could not quite understand. To her valued friends that had the patience and took the time and opportunity to look past her tough exterior she left no doubt that she had a place in their lives and she belonged. MOM Our Greatest Teacher. We are not saying goodbye... But THANK YOU! Thank you for your kindness, caring and immeasurable patience. Thank you for tucking us in, waiting up and worrying, for the lectures, and endless concerns. Thank you for looking out for us, even when we didn't think we needed it. For letting us fall when we had to learn by making our own mistakes. Thanks for laughing with us even though we knew at times you were laughing at us. Thank you for being our biggest cheerleader, advocate, encouraging us, believing in us, and for letting us know you never expected more than the best we could do. Thank you for keeping us sane and grounded, to have faith, hope and to trust our journey. Thank you for teaching us to be grateful for what we have. Thank you for teaching us to try and see the best in people, to try and be diplomatic in the face of conflict and adversity and to try and "turn it around" and see the other side of the coin. Thank you for encouraging us to keep an open mind, to try and not judge others because you never know the storm someone else has walked through. Thank you for standing beside us when perhaps no one else would. As we entered new and uncharted ventures because you knew at times our failures would be outweighed by the times we surprised ourselves and you. Thank you for just listening and sometimes just being in the same room. Thank you for teaching us that sometimes the hard thing and the right thing are the same thing. Thank you for teaching us to never apologize for having high standards; that the people who truly want to be in your life will find you and rise up to meet them. And thank you for passing down to Susie her love for gardening; Jackie her love for books and Lorraine's love for travel. What we learned from you has been invaluable... you gave us opportunities; opportunities to discover the depth of our character, the depth of our love, commitment, patience and our abilities. You encouraged us to take the opportunity to explore our spirit more deeply than we imagined possible. You drove us further than we would ever go on our own; working harder, seeking answers to our many questions with no answers. You were our teacher. You taught us what is really important in life. You gave us and taught us unconditional love. About how precious this life is and about trying to not take things for granted for life can change in a blink of an eye. You taught us that sometimes we need to forget our own needs, desires and dreams. And above all else to try to give more than you take...like you didand to do it cheerfully! Mom, thank you for being smart, wise, talented and inspiring and so beautiful. You were our expert in everything, best friend, confidant and not just our momOur Superhero!!! You had the heart of a lion, and it was made of gold. We girls hope to make you proud of the women we are and are becoming. "Sunny days will hurt the most, we will wear the pain like a heavy coat, and we will feel you everywhere we go. We will see your smile, see your face, hear you laughing in the rainand we can't believe you're gone. It's not fair you died too younglike a book your story had just begun but death tore the pages all away!" Life doesn't come with manuals... it comes with Moms! A private family celebration of Sylvia's life has already taken place.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Oct 31, 2015