LILIAN COLPITTS

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LILIAN COLPITTS

After 99 wonderful years Mom passed away peacefully on February 2, 2020, to be with her husband Al, son Stuart; parents, Tom and Alice Smith; and her sisters, Mary Hunter McHale and Tess Wingrove.
She leaves to treasure her memory her son Jeff (Paulette) Colpitts and daughter-in-law Cathie Colpitts. Also surviving are her grandchildren, Evan, Richard, Graham, Jena and Riley; nephews, Tom Wingrove, Bill Colpitts, Bob Colpitts, and Rod Meredith along with their families.
Mom was born in the Weston neighbourhood on July 27, 1920, and lived the majority of her life in Winnipeg. In 1974 Mom and Dad moved to Vancouver to pursue work opportunities but returned to Winnipeg in 1995 as they felt that Winnipeg was their true home. After dad passed away in 1999, Mom and her sister Tess lived together for both support and company. They resided together for over a decade until Tess passed away in 2011.
Mom was a woman ahead of her time. She was an involved mother but was also interested in having a working career outside of the home. Her career with the Federal Department of Veterans Affairs spanned 25 years at both Deer Lodge Hospital in Winnipeg and Shaughnessy Hospital in Vancouver. She took great pride in the part she played in having helped many veterans of Canada's wars acquire health and pension benefits she felt they richly deserved. Mom was well read and kept abreast of current events throughout her life. One of the great tragedies of her life was her progressively failing eyesight robbed her of the pleasure of reading the daily newspaper, something she had done for as long as we can remember. She held many strong opinions on a variety of topics and never shied away from a debate on an issue that was important to her. She was a staunch union supporter her entire working life and into her retirement. You could always have an excellent political argument with Mom as long as you didn't expect to win it.
Mom had a passion for sports and bowled, lawn bowled and curled for many years both while she worked and after her retirement. She was also an avid watcher of both football and golf, and spent many Sunday afternoons alternating between both. Mom enjoyed hosting the many friends and family they entertained over the years at the family cottage at Brereton Lake.
She will be remembered by her family as a loving caring mother and grandmother.
The family would like to offer its most heartfelt appreciation to Sturgeon Creek Retirement Residence, The Rosewood Supportive Housing Unit and Golden Links Personal Care Home for the excellent care and compassionate support provided to Mom over the last 15 years of her life.
Cremation has taken place and a private gathering will be held for family at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Mom's memory may be made to The Salvation Army for the work they do for those less fortunate than us.

We will miss you Grandma.
Rest in Peace Mom.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Feb 08, 2020