LYNN NIEMAN

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LYNN NIEMAN

(nee FURCH)

January 18, 1940 - March 9, 2026

On the morning of March 9, 2026, after a long struggle with her health, Lynn slipped away at St. Boniface Hospital - the same place she came into the world, trained as a nurse, and gave birth to her own children.

Lynn grew up just down the way in Norwood, the daughter of Hans Herbert and Mary (née Luce) Furch. She and her sisters, Pat and Sylvia, were surrounded by cousins who all piled into Holy Cross School and then St. Mary’s Academy. Lynn realized her gift for music early, singing with Eaton’s Good Deed Club, winning many trophy classes in the Manitoba Music Festival, and becoming the soloist at St. John Brebeuf Church.

The elegant Lynn may have first locked eyes with Duane, her husband of 65 years, at a dance at West Hawk Lake. However, it was only by joining the church choir back in Winnipeg that he found the way to her heart. After marrying in 1960, Lori, Robert, Jodi and Meghan followed. And amid the chaos of young motherhood, music continued to play a central role in her life. Lynn performed on CBC shows and in Hollow Mug productions, directed choirs at St. Mary’s Academy, and sang in both the Winnipeg Philharmonic and the Opera Chorus.

During these years, Lynn also became active in the Junior League, served as President of both the Women’s Musical Club and the Women’s Canadian Club, professionally modelled, taught charm school, and sold real estate for a time.

Lynn was a blur, buzzing around Winnipeg in her 1969 red Mustang convertible. Rarely patient, she could often be found up on a ladder doing home improvements or moving around furniture by herself, and she was not scared to take a sledgehammer to a wall. Lynn stoked a love of travel in her children by planning vacations that took the family from coast to coast in both Canada and the US, knitting afghans and sweaters for her daughters’ boyfriends while she rode shotgun. When her kids left home, Lynn upgraded to dogs, raising a litter of puppies and growing a Canadian Kennel Club champion.

Lynn and Duane enjoyed an early retirement, spending half the year in their beloved Tucson, where Lynn also became active in the music scene. They produced annual fundraising concert events that raised thousands of dollars for the Arizona Cerebral Palsy Association, and were one year honoured with the Volunteer of the Year Award for their work.

The arrival of grandchildren - Alexandra, Victoria, Charlotte, Isabel, Benedict, Meredith, Stella and Helen - meant that leftover birthday cake for breakfast could officially be deemed a good thing (something she had tacitly sanctioned for years as a mother)! Lynn greeted each new grandchild with delight, letting them rifle through her purse for candy, adorning the girls with nail polish, and green lighting questionable movie choices during sleepovers.

When Lynn’s health began to fail, her will to find a solution never faltered. And when she could no longer remember anyone in this world, her love for Duane remained clear and constant.

Predeceased by her parents and her sister Patricia; her son Robert; and her granddaughter Charlotte; Lynn is survived by her husband Duane; daughters, Lori (Kirk Penner), Jodi (Ed DeMarco) and Meghan (Martin Bullock); seven grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; her sister Sylvia (Dave); brother-in-law Peter; sister-in-law Charlene; and many nieces and nephews. After a lifetime of tardiness, this may be the only time that Lynn will have to wait for Duane.

We would like to extend our gratitude to Holy Family Home for the love and compassion they showed Lynn in her final months, and to Dr. Paul Muns and the 4th Floor staff at St. Boniface Hospital for their expert care in her final days.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to either the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba or to Holy Family.

A funeral Mass will be held for our beautiful Lynn at St. John Brebeuf Church on Saturday, May 16, 2026 at 11:00 a.m.

Arrangements have been entrusted to E.J. Coutu & Co.

TRIBUTES: ejcoutu.ca

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Mar 21, 2026