ARCHANGE LAURA MARIE WALKER (nee DARGIS)

Adjust Text Size: A+ A-

ARCHANGE LAURA MARIE WALKER (nee DARGIS) 1910-2002 Peacefully on Monday, January 14, 2002, Archange passed away at the Victoria General Hospital, at the age of 91 years. Archange was the 12th child of Francois Xavier DArgis and Rebecca Bourassa of Trois Rivieres Quebec, and the only child to be born in Western Canada, her parents migrating here in 1909, a few months before her birth. She was educated at St. Josephs Academy, and received her nursing certificate from the St. Boniface Hospital. Prior to her marriage to William Mossop Walker in 1935, she worked at the St. Boniface Sanitarium. She and her husband moved to Fort Garry in 1938, living in a home with no electricity, telephone or running water, but with wild prairie grasses and wild fruit trees, truly a little house on the prairie. During those early years, she raised a daughter, and the home was open to children and family. She was a member of the Catholic Womens League at St. Vital Church and a member of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Lord Strathconas Horse (RC) during the war years. She worked at the Highwayman in the 1950s and in 1959 took a refresher course in nursing and returned to her first love, taking care of people, which she did for 15 years at the Misericordia Hospital. From 1935 to 1974, she took care of her husband, who was not in the best of health after having served overseas in the Second World War. She took her first flight to British Columbia in the late 1970s, to look after the young family of Peter Dobbs, a young man who lived in her home when he first arrived from England in 1967. After that she flew to Detroit to nurse her nephew, Rev. Leo F. DArgis while he recovered from heart surgery. There was no holding her back after that, as she began to travel North America with other seniors on bus trips, largely in Eastern Canada and USA. as well as winter holidays with Leo, who moved to Florida. In the 1980s, she started a new career, raising and nurturing step-grandchildren and a great-grandson, who came from Scotland for a new life in Canada. It wasnt easy. There were cultural differences for the new family members, and they all had to go to school. She fed them, counseled and consoled them, and made sure they had everything that they needed. As a result, they are totally devoted to her, the only Grandmother they ever knew. Her door was always open to welcome family and friends. Her daughters school chums came for weekends, and some for months or years and became part of her extended family. Later, university students from all over the world came to enjoy her hospitality and she enjoyed the diversity of cultures and languages. She was always ready for a good laugh with them. Archange was predeceased by her husband William Mossop Walker in January 1974. She is survived by her daughter, Laura Philip and her son-in-law William (Bill). Four grandchildren, Ann Blagden, (Richard), and Vicky, John Philip (Jane) and Gail Horne, in Scotland. She has three great-grandsons, Mark Philip (Sandra North) in Canada, John William Philip and Scott Horne, in Scotland; her sister-in-law Margaret (Madge) Walker in Winnipeg, and many nieces and nephews in Canada, the USA, as well as extended family members in England, Scotland, and Australia. Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, January 17 at 11:00 a.m. in the St. Vital Roman Catholic Church, 1629 Pembina Hwy., with Rev. Dr. Patrick A. Morand presiding. A private family interment will take place at Garry Memorial Park. The family would like to thank all the caring people who helped her during her final months of life. She has been well taken care of by the staff and doctors at the Victoria Hospital, Riverview Health Care Centre, and the Fort Garry Care Centre, and Rev. Dr. Patrick A. Morand of St. Vital Catholic Church. Very special thanks to our neighbour Rosalind Raghuveer who gave so much of her time to make mom comfortable in her final hours. In lieu of flowers, please send a donation to the Victoria Hospital Foundation, the Riverview Heath Centre or the Fort Garry Care Centre. P. COUTU & CO. FUNERAL DIRECTORS 156 Marion Street 949-4864

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jan 16, 2002