IRENE HAMERTON

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IRENE HAMERTON Beloved mother to Kate (Dino) and Sarah (Jim), sister to Christine (Peter) and Cherry (John), stepmother to Susan and Michael (Joy), grandmother to Keith and Colin, step-grandmother to Peter and Melina, aunt to Jeremy (Karen), Christopher, Rebecca (Brendan), James, and Anna (Eoin), and great-aunt, Irene Hamerton died peacefully on Tuesday, September 5, 2017, after several months' illness, predeceased by her loving husband, John L. Hamerton. A gentle soul, thoughtful, compassionate, interested in everything, loving and full of wit, she was treasured by her family. Irene was born in East Grinstead, Sussex, England to Irene Beatrice and Frederick Keith Tuck, April 7, 1933. She had a wonderful childhood in a close family, and made living in southern England during the Blitz and the hardships of war into adventures shared with her sisters, and stories to delight her daughters and grandchildren. After taking her A-levels, Irene trained in library science and worked for several English libraries, public, private, veterinary and medical. As Librarian of the Paediatric Research Unit at Guy's Hospital, London, she met John. With Kate, Sarah and Susan, they moved to Winnipeg in 1969. She prepared the index and bibliography of John's two-volume genetics textbook and worked as librarian, including over 17 years in the Manitoba Department of Natural Resources. In 1980, she and John began their farming life with five acres near Cooks Creek. After getting three sheep to "keep down the alfalfa," they embarked on 25 years of sheep-farming, buying 80 acres near Anola in 1992. Irene loved gardening, taking after her father, and animals, feeding many an orphaned lamb and loving many cats and dogs. She navigated the adventures and hard work of farming life with humour and delight, even dodging bears in the bush! Always a nature lover, she adored trees and walking, camped, dog-sledded, and backpacked the Rockies with John and the Manitoba Naturalists. She and John were avid readers and theatre-goers. She was a wonderful hostess who befriended scientists and sheep farmers, a supportive wife, and the kindest of mothers, indulging her daughters by recounting pets' adventures and transcribing their poems on birthdays and Christmases. After John died in 2006, Irene moved to Brandon to be near Sarah. At 73, she began "visiting the elderly" at Hillcrest Place Personal Care Home, outliving three of her four charges and regaling her daughters with her stories. She befriended new neighbours and attended many symphony concerts with new friends who became dear to her. She took joy in her grandchildren. Irene loved her adopted Canada but also her visits to family. She had a rich and full life and stoically accepted what came her way. She chose to end her suffering open-eyed and with principle and dignity. We thank the nurses and support staff of the Palliative Care Unit of the Assiniboine Centre in Brandon, Dr. Edward and Dr. Hunter, Dr. Wiebe and the MAID team, for their kindness and care in her final days and at the end of her life. We are inspired by her kindness and strength of mind, and will always honour and remember her life and example. Donations to MSF (Doctors Without Borders) and Care Canada may be made in lieu of flowers. A memorial will be held in Brandon on October 7, 2017. For information, email ihamertonmemorial@gmail.com.

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As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Sep 16, 2017