Obituaries

DOREEN ELLEN ROSAASEN
   On Saturday, September 30, 2017, peacefully, with her family at her side, Doreen Ellen Rosaasen completed her life’s journey at the age of 78 years.   Left to cherish Doreen’s memory are her son Ken Grant (Mary Lou); daughter Wendy Konrad (Dwayne); grandchildren Ryan Plesh (Jennifer) and Amanda Konrad (Scott); great grandchildren Nate and Kaitlyn; sister Donna Beekenkamp (Ron); sisters and brothers-in-law Joyce Rowe, Lennard Rosaasen, Barbara Evans, Sharon Monchamp (Bob), Gary Rosaasen (Sherryl), Judy Webb (Ken), Val Coss, Bonny Olson-Piercy (Harold), Dean Rosaasen (Marilyn), Diane Sutherland (Roy), Tony Zimmerman and Lloyd Widdifield; as well as  numerous nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents Millicent and Charles Harding; mother and father-in-law Hazel and Harold Rosaasen; sisters and brothers-in-law Belinda Widdifield, Helen Zimmerman, Donna Rosaasen, Carol Parkes and Ken Rowe; as well as nephew Jason Monchamp.    Doreen was born and raised in Winnipeg. As a child, she modelled at a prestigious clothing store. She was able to skip grade 5 due to her strong academic standings. Doreen was also a strong athlete-captain of her baseball team which were city champs.  She was accepted into the school of nursing at Misercordia Hospital in Grade 11 because of her exceptional marks and worked as a registered nurse when she graduated. Doreen had the distinction of graduating with honors and being the youngest graduate ever. She was a pioneer in the formation of the Manitoba Organization of Nurses Association (renamed to Manitoba Nurses Union-MNU). In the late 1960’s healthcare facilities were starting to organize and in 1968 Doreen became a founding member of Misercordia Local 2. The Provincial Staff Nurses Council was set up in 1970 to be the collective bargaining agent under the Registered Nurses Act. Doreen was elected as Treasurer of the Council for the 1973-1974 term. From 1972 to 1975 she was hired on a part-time basis to organize nurses all across the province. In 1978 Doreen was elected to the Board of MONA and soon gave up her nursing position to accept a full-time staff position as a labour relations Officer. On January 1, 1990 she was the first nurse appointed to the Manitoba Labour Board as an Employee Representative. For 12 years she served in this position providing a strong voice for the labour movement. On April 22, 1997 Doreen was the recipient of the MNU’s highest recognition-An Honorary Life Membership. In 1999 she retired from the MNU and was acknowledged for organizing the most locals. When she retired, Doreen devoted full attention to caring for her husband Moe who suffered from Parkinson’s Disease for 30 years of their 54-year marriage. In her spare time, Doreen spent countless hours with her grandson Ryan (she called him “my beautiful boy”), camping across Canada, enjoying her cottage, reading, playing bridge, swimming, riding her bike, caring for her dog and many cats.  She also sat on the zoning board for the Village of Dunnottar and took up many political causes.   A Celebration of Doreen’s life will be held on Monday, October 16, 2017 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at ANAVETS, 3584 Portage Avenue.   The family wishes to give a special thanks to the Mayor of the Village of Dunnottar, Rick Gamble, who was my mom’s best friend. When Doreen was diagnosed with terminal cancer, her wishes were to go to her cottage and swim in the lake. As a family unit we moved to the cottage for the past three months to full fill her wish. Rick was at our cottage almost every single day for the last three months. We also would like to thank our Family doctor Aaron Mellon, Vet Betty Hughes and the WRHA palliative care for their support.   In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the “Village of Dunnottar” for their catch and release program for feral cats. Mailing address -Village of Dunnottar, 44 Whytewold Road, Matlock, Manitoba, R0C 2B0.   Wojcik’s Funeral Chapels & Crematoriums, Winnipeg, 2157 Portage Avenue, 204.897.4665 www.wojciksfuneralchapel.com
 Doreen’s love, friendship, caring and selflessness will be missed and cherished by her family, many friends as well as work and business colleagues.