Obituaries

Francine Carol Hiebert (Sorrels)

It is with immense heartbreak that we announce the passing of our deeply loved mom and grammy, Francine Hiebert, who left this world on January 10, 2025, peacefully in her home at 76 years old. She was later that same day pronounced deceased at St. Boniface Hospital.

Born on March 11, 1948, in The Hague, Netherlands, Francine was loving, sensitive, romantic, intuitive, strong-willed, and deeply caring. She was worldly and quite intelligent from a young age but maintained a childlike innocence her entire life. Francine was a great storyteller and loved to speak fondly of her past. Francine devoted herself as a mom and grammy, always wearing a big heart on her sleeve and ready to shower her family with love through sweet gestures and thoughtfulness. Though she couldn’t always be close in proximity and regretfully never got to meet one of her grandchildren, her love was always felt from afar. Family meant the most to her; she loved speaking affectionately of her late parents’ lives and her adventurous life growing up. Francine loved being a mom and grammy to her kids, a daughter to a sophisticated and lovely woman from London, England, and a debonaire, handsome man from New York. Francine’s parents met while her father was stationed in Europe. Their love story fuelled Francine’s romanticism and idealistic nature for a lifetime.

As a military kid, Francine got to experience life by attending school all over the world. When they lived in Los Angeles, her father was up on the roof doing some repairs, and he was shocked when he saw that Francine had climbed up to the roof, unbeknownst to her mother, to bring her father a sandwich. Francine was only 4 years old. She was a tomboy who loved to climb trees and play baseball. She also lived in Pacific Grove, California, down at Pebble Beach when her father was sent there for training. She loved running down to the golf course behind her house, where she would sometimes run into celebrities. Francine often reminisced about living in Japan as a young child, remembering the gorgeous cherry blossoms, the delicious food, and the beautiful culture, and learning to speak Japanese. She giggled about living in Georgia, only attending school there for a week before coming home with a thick southern drawl; her
mom had difficulty understanding. Francine liked attending two years of high school in France and the other two in California. She often spoke about the cultural differences between the two countries and the impact that had on her as a young lady. Her brother, who was seven years younger than her, asked his French friends if they’d give him cigarettes in return for a kiss from his sister, much to Francine’s horror and dismay. However, Francine preferred her high school days in France and noted that she had to regress to fit in with the immature high school crowd in the States. Nevertheless, Francine was always a proud, die-hard American, even though she lived in Canada for the remainder of her 39 years. Francine only upgraded her status from landed immigrant to Canadian citizen sometime halfway through that period.

When Francine was a senior in high school, she was in a rush to get home after prom and ran right through a plate glass door at her home that she thought was open. She nearly lost her foot, her ankle only holding on by a tendon, and the doctors didn’t think she would ever walk again. Fortunately, Francine was sent to a military hospital in San Francisco where doctors were experienced with wounded soldiers who were being sent back from Vietnam for treatment. Francine thankfully made a full recovery and did indeed get to walk again. Unfortunately, her bad leg was now shorter and gave her a bit of a limp, which later contributed to her excruciating back pain.

Francine’s father now retired from the military for fear of getting recruited to Vietnam, and the family settled in Fresno, California. Francine went to college for three years at Fresno State, hoping to become a teacher. That ambition was suddenly interrupted by her desire to fly as a TWA stewardess in the 60s, based out of New York City, when flying was prestigious and glamorous. She also worked in the air guard in her early 20s. Her best friend, Diana, came out of college, and her other good friend, Marcie, from the air guard. These were two lasting friendships that had a profound impact on Francine’s life. Francine would call Diana her soul sister until the very end.

After a short stint as a stewardess, she became homesick and moved back to California. A strong desire to return home would be a recurring theme in Francine’s life. She worked primarily in retail before marrying in Fresno when she was 36. Aftermarrying, the newlyweds lived for a short period in dreamy Santa Maria close to Pismo Beach before moving to Winnipeg, where her husband was from. Then, she finally gave birth to her only child at 38. She had waited a long time to become a mom, and her new role made her feel full of love, but Francine quickly became homesick again in a foreign land with a young child.

Francine, her husband (at the time), and her daughter have many wonderful memories of holidays and travel time spent together, most notably the summers spent at Francine’s late father’s cabin in the Sierra Mountains of California, where Francine could feel at home and free. Francine loved reading, writing, shopping, singing and dancing, watching old movies, and keeping informed about politics and global affairs. She was a proud mom to her only child. She liked to call her daughter her “china doll,” always doting on her and loving her profoundly and unconditionally. Francine loved sharing her wisdom and insights with her daughter, always encouraging education and studies as a top priority.

Winnipeg sadly never felt like home to her. Chronic pain from osteoarthritis and a deep depression that set in after her father died took over her life. It upsettingly halted her life as a free spirit by her mid-40s onward. As time passed, it became harder and harder for her to return home before it became utterly impossible. This problematic realization due to forced immobility truly and sadly contributed to her lost sense of self and well-being. Finally, she became too ill to travel before it became painfully apparent that she would likely never return home again.

Francine had a challenging, interesting, multilayered, and, at times, glamorous life. She was very fortunate in the blessings she did attain. Unfortunately, her later years were difficult and lonely. Stronger than she gave herself credit, thanks to that strong will of hers, she thankfully got to pass away on her terms. There was so much unease in Francine’s world, but she finally found peace in her final moments. A strong thank you goes out to her care team at Fort Garry Access Health and to her several doctors and specialists over the years.

Francine is survived by her daughter, Katey Gudmundson, son-in-law, Kyle Gudmundson, grandchildren Johnny and Madeleine (Vancouver Island), and her exhusband and loyal friend, Theodore (Ted) Hiebert. Even though divorced, Francine and Ted were there for each other in some way or another until the very end, forever linked by their everlasting love for their  daughter, Katey. Ted was her only friend in the end, and the family is so thankful he was there for her through thick and thin. Ted was with
Francine when she passed away at home in her chair. They got to have some lovely talks before she went.

Francine was predeceased by her mom, Patricia Sorrels, her dad, Lyman (Larry) Sorrels, and brother, Jonathan Sorrels, and they are now welcomed together in eternal peace. A celebration of her beautiful life will be held in early spring in Victoria, BC, along the tranquil sea and blooming daffodils, an ode to her soft spot for those two things. We hope this helps guide her home to rest in peace. Though Francine has left us physically, her spirit will always surround us. We take comfort in knowing that her love will always be there. Mom, you will be dearly missed and forever loved. Angels watch over you and keep you safe.