SOPHIE FIRMAN

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SOPHIE FIRMAN Peacefully on the morning of December 30, 2014 Sophie Firman passed away at the Fisher Personal Care Home. Sophie was born on the farm in Skylake, Manitoba on July 20, 1919, the fourth child of Mike and Annie Melnyk. After completing high school, she worked in Thunder Bay and St. Catherines, Ontario. When she returned to Manitoba, she worked for her brothers at Mel's Transfer in Arborg. This is where she met our father Walter Firman. They married in 1950 and moved to the farm where she lived for the next 62 years. When Walter died in 1969, she continued to farm with her three sons until 1985. After she retired, she enjoyed many trips to the casinos in Winnipeg, and bingo and card games at the Seniors Club House in Arborg. In January of 2012 she moved to the Sunrise Lodge in Arborg and enjoyed living there until July of 2013 when she moved to the Fisher Personal Care Home. She was predeceased by her parents Mike and Annie Melnyk, her husband Walter, her sisters; Mary (Steve) Natyna, Jean (Norman) Baldock, Olga (Joe) Klym, her brothers; John (Jean) Melnyk, Walter (Joyce) Melnyk, her brother-in-law John Kit, sister-in-law Ann Melnyk, and her son-in-law Raymond Votour. She is survived by her daughter Donna Votour (children Scott, Teressa (Clark), Devon, Shannon, Boyd and their families); sons Wesley (Julie) (children Linda, Heather, Tammy, Jason and their families), Andy (Agy and children Patrick, Christine, Manuel and their families), Darvin(Wanda) and sons Christopher and Lyndon (Jessa Laine). She is also survived by her sister Rose Kit of St. Catharines, Ontario, and brother Andy Melnyk of Niagra Falls, Ontario as well as many nieces and nephews. Sophie's family would like to thank the staff at the Fisher Personal Care Home for their care and compassion in the last 17 months. Cremation has taken place and a funeral service will take place at a later date when she is laid to rest beside our father Walter in the Bjarmi Cemetery. Flowers are graciously declined. Donations in Sophie's memory may be made to The Icelandic River Foundation or to the Fisher Personal Care Home, Fisher Branch, MB. MacKenzie Funeral Home Arborg (204) 467-2525 mackhome@mts.net

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jan 03, 2015