JOHANNA LORRAINE (GRAHAM) COLLISON

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JOHANNA LORRAINE (GRAHAM) COLLISON October 16, 1919 - December 23, 2000 Peacefully, surrounded by her children, Johanna Lorraine Collison (nee Graham) passed away at 12:45 p.m. on Saturday, December 23, at Calvary Place, in Winnipeg. Born on October 16, 1919 in Dugald, Man., Lorraine was the oldest child of William Robert Graham and Bertha Magnusson, thereby joining two of the great communities which helped build this province: the Scots and the Icelanders. Raised early-on, in Selkirk, Man., she graduated in the summer of 1941 as an R.N. (Registered Nurse) from the Selkirk General Hospital and later that year (on December 20) married Merlin Mozart Collison, of Winnipeg. In later years her husband would boast that he had captured the heart of "the most beautiful girl in Selkirk." But Lorraine Collisons true beauty was much more than "skin deep." Even in the two years following her devastating stroke, Lorraine showed the same generosity of heart and nobility of spirit which marked her entire adult life. After the birth of the last two of her four children, she went back to practice nursing--first as a head nurse at the Womens Pavilion at the Health Sciences Centre and later as a Clinical Assistant to Dr. Ralston, the head of obstetrics and gynecology. Temperamentally, Lorraine was perfectly adapted to nursing the ill and frail. She always tempered kindness and compassion with an ability to determine what had to be done, quickly, to help and assist. Though Lorraine Collison loved to heal, her true vocation was motherhood. To both her sons and her twin daughters, she was always the "rock", the firm foundation upon which they built their lives. As a mom, her love was unconditional, and she patiently nurtured--and nursed--them through their triumphs and tragedies. And for more than 40 years she sustained her marriage to her husband Merle who never quite believed his luck at winning this most beautiful lady. To those who loved her, her loss is inconsolable. But as the old injunction goes, you only truly die when all those who cherish your memory pass on. Lorraines spirit will live on in the hearts and minds of all those whose lives she deeply touched. Johanna Lorraine Collison is survived by her son Robert of Toronto; her twin daughters, Dr. Susan Collison, of Winnipeg (John Maguire), Dr. Maureen Collison of Winnipeg (Ted Boughen) her daughter-in-law Elinor Collison of Calgary, Alta., and her beloved grandchildren, Dana Collison of Calgary, Alta., Sean Maguire, Nicholas Maguire, Ariel Boughen and Leah Boughen, all of Winnipeg; her step-grandchildren, David and Ross Butcher and their mother Gail Collison of Victoria, B.C. Lorraine is also survived by her much loved sister Pearl Braithwaite and her brother-in-law Ron Braithwaite of Oceanside, CA; her sister Patricia Graham, of Victoria, BC; her sisters-in-law, Jean Graham of Ottawa and Veronica Collison of Selkirk and many beloved nephews and nieces. Lorraine Collison was predeceased by her husband Merle and her cherished oldest son, James Randolph Collison of Victoria, B.C. and her adored brother William Randolph Graham of Ottawa, Ont., and her brother-in-law Jack Collison of Selkirk, Man. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, December 27 at Augustine United Church, 444 River Ave., Winnipeg MB. Interment will be private at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba, 301-353 Donald St., Winnipeg, Man. NEIL BARDAL INC 949-2200

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Dec 27, 2000