Shirley DEVRIEZE

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DEVRIEZE: Shirley Martha Devrieze (nee Didur). Peacefully on Friday, April 12, 2015 Shirley Devrieze of Brandon passed away at the age of 78 years. She was the eldest child of Joseph and Margaret Didur and was predeceased by her father. Shirley will be lovingly remembered by her daughters Darlene (Jamie) McLeod of Brandon, Jo-Anne Sullivan (Warren Spencer) of Altamont, MB, grandchildren Shaun Sullivan of Winnipeg and Lauren McLeod of Brandon. Also survived by her brother Leonard (Beverly) Didur of Hornby, Ontario and sister Nancy (Greg) Sametz of Winnipeg along with numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews and cousins. Born on March 16, 1937 in Portage La Prairie, she graduated from Portage Collegiate Institute in 1955 then went away to secretarial school shortly afterwards. She then worked as a receptionist at Dr. Bonar’s office in Deloraine, Manitoba. It is there where she met her husband to be Arthur Devrieze. They married in 1958 and in the following years celebrated the birth of their beloved daughters, Darlene in 1962 and Jo-Anne in 1965. Shirley was a very talented artist and craftsperson. Among her favourites were painting, quilting, needlepoint, pottery, Belgian Lace and Pysanka (the traditional Ukrainian art of Easter egg painting) She was quite accomplished and received numerous awards. Her works were displayed at many museums, art galleries and professional offices throughout Manitoba. She excelled at her arts and taught her daughters what excellence truly meant as she passed these skills on to them as well as her grand children and others while teaching art classes. In doing so she became a major influence in many lives. A wonderful mother, daughter, grandmother, wife, sister, aunt and friend, family was the most important thing of all in her life. She cared for the senior members of her family and dedicated hours of craft time with the younger members. Summers spent at the family cottage at Delta beach, baby-sitting grand children, and family holidays provided her with treasured memories. In her final years Shirley looked forward to the spring with all of the birds and creatures that visited on her patio. Summer days were spent at the apartment complex pool with her daughter and granddaughter. Many have been touched by Shirley and will miss her terribly. Shirley was very active in the area of self-improvement and would always look for ways to do so including taking yoga courses, tai chi and meditation classes to name a few. She even enrolled in a basic maintenance automotive class and did well. Diagnosed with cancer in 2011 her life changed considerably. She battled the disease and constantly searched for ways to improve her situation. Her immediate family came to her aid, and devoted their time to comforting and nurturing her throughout the entire course of her illness. Also, in her final years through the Primetime program at Fairview she would meet her special friend Joe Dutchak who brought her continuous love and support in aid of her battle. The family would like to thank the doctors and staff of the Palliative Care Ward at the Assiniboine Centre, Brandon General Hospital, the Western Medical Clinic, the Cancer Care Team of both Brandon and Winnipeg as well as the Home Care Team for all of their love, support and compassion. The family would also like to thank all of the various people, organizations and compassionate members of the community who reached out to Shirley in her times of need. Shirley’s funeral service was held at McKenzies Funeral Chapel on Friday, April 17th in Portage La Prairie. Joe Ball of Brandon, who provided a great deal of spiritual strength, read a final tribute to her. As expressions of sympathy, if friends so wish, donations may be made in Shirley’s memory to the Brandon Palliative Care, 150 McTavish Ave. E, Brandon, MB R7A 2B3 or the Canadian Cancer Society, 193 Sherbrook St, Winnipeg, MB, R3C 9Z9.

As published in Brandon Sun on May 09, 2015