RACHEL CECILIA CAMPBELL

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RACHEL CECILIA CAMPBELL

December 31, 1925 - June 17, 2025

After a full and wonderful life, Rachel Cécilia Campbell (née Voyer) passed away peacefully on June 17, 2025, at the age of 99 and a half, in Winnipeg.

Rachel was pre-deceased by her husband James (Jim) Willard Campbell in 2014, her parents Romuald and Alphonsine Voyer, and her siblings Normand, Martha Yolande (Paul), Florence Ida (Pierre), Ghislaine (James), Aline Marie Edith (Guy) and Lauraine Blanche (Gordon). She leaves many loving nieces, nephews, and cousins to mourn her passing.

Rachel was born in the small town of Le Bic (now part of Rimouski, Québec) into a close and nurturing French-Canadian family. Having ventured to Toronto to work in management, she met the love of her life and future husband, Jim. After a romantic and enchanting courtship, they married in 1957 and shared a beautiful 60-year partnership.

Jim’s career as a mining engineer took Jim and Rachel to many Canadian cities, including Flin Flon, Kenora, Espanola and Sudbury. In 1980 they made their home in Winnipeg, where they lived happily for the next 37 years. Rachel and Jim enjoyed many holidays on the open road that took them to Mexico, California, Arizona, and both the east and west coasts of Canada.

After Jim’s passing, Rachel was surrounded by a warm and supportive network of family and friends, and lived independently to almost 100. Members of her Winnipeg “team” included her nephew Bill Rodger, her lifelong friend Ciel Gera, her nephew Kenny Boyce and his partner Alex, and her niece and nephew Geraldine and Richard Boyce.

Family was everything to Rachel. She cherished every contact with her siblings, nieces, nephews, and godchildren, always remembering birthdays and anniversaries. Every one of her calls and letters brought such joy, rekindling fond memories of days gone by. Following the pandemic, Aunt Rachel delighted in visits from her godson David Harquail, goddaughter Clarice Strang, niece Janet Dakins, goddaughter Ghislaine Dupuy, godson Timothy Campbell, and niece Marguerite Boone Campbell, and calls and visits from her extremely supportive niece Krisha Berg.

Rachel was an avid bowler, who won many trophies and even bowled a perfect game! She was a passionate and jubilant Winnipeg sports fan, who loved nothing more than cheering on her beloved Jets and Bombers. A person of discerning tastes, she appreciated a fine shiraz or an exceptional Scotch, and lived to the very end of her life as a bold and trend-setting fashionista.

Aunt Rachel’s planning and attention to detail were legendary, from her meticulous coiffure and manicure to her incomparable holiday celebrations. Throughout her life she was a fiercely independent thinker who was vitally engaged by domestic and world events, a proud Canadian and a true internationalist. But most of all, she taught us the meaning of the novelist George Sand’s words, “Il n’y a qu’un bonheur dans la vie, c’est d’aimer et d’être aimé.” – “There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved.”

Our family would like to offer special thanks to Aunt Rachel’s companions Lorena Herrera and Brenda Thomas, and to her physician, Dr. Michael Hochman.

Cremation has taken place, and Rachel was interred in Quibell, Ontario, on Saturday, September 20, at a private family service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the compassionate caregivers at Action Marguerite, an organization close to Rachel’s heart.                      https://www.actionmarguerite.ca/ donations/donate-now/

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Sep 27, 2025