DOROTHY HELEN FABBRI (DOT)

Adjust Text Size: A+ A-

DOROTHY HELEN FABBRI
July 22, 1921 - December 21, 2020
Monday, 5:25 p.m.

After 99 years, it is with words way beyond sadness to announce to the world that Dorothy Fabbri, known as "Dot", is now in Heaven. My dear friend, Dot, has finally gone home.
Mike, your mother's beloved son, your mom has finally come home to stay with you forever.
Gus, your beloved wife has come home. She has missed you so.
Mother and father, Mary and Harry Medhurst, you finally get to be with your baby again, you waited so long, Dot waited so long.
Jack, Joe, Jim, Charlie, Peter, Ben, Winnie, and Sally: your sister has finally come home. Dot missed you all so very, very much. Please, everyone, take care of her.
Dot was a War Bride. Leaving home, Surrey, England, with her little boy, Mike, on the Queen Mary at the end of the Second World War headed to Canada to marry her soldier, never to return to England again. Never to see her family ever again. Time with Mike's father didn't last. Years later, after meeting a postman at a Henderson Highway deli, she wed August Fabbri and remained happily married until his passing in 1993.
In Dot's working years, she enjoyed her time at the Oasis Restaurant, not quite liking waitressing, as she was very shy, she much preferred cooking in the kitchen.
In 2006, Dot painfully suffered the loss of her only child, Mike. The hole in her heart would never be mended. Every night before going to sleep, she would look at his picture lovingly, quietly saying goodnight.
At the age of 89, Dot got a job volunteering at D'Arcy's Animal Rescue Centre, and affectionately known as The Cat Lady, as she would take treats to all the cats and kittens and spent time with them, going room to room. Dot volunteered at D'Arcy's until the age of 95. (I'm so proud of you, Dot. And you know 'Little Frances' would have been proud of you too).
Dot also very much enjoyed being a member of the Adult Day Program at Fred Douglas Lodge for eight years, where she enjoyed the company of friends, especially her dear friend Lorette.
Dot's love for all animals was truly touching. Feeding the outdoor cats, squirrels, and birds everyday; and enjoying watching them on her front porch where she loved to sit the most.
Dot loved her own home and I'm grateful to say this is where she spent her last day on this earth.
Left to mourn her life, is her long-time friend, Frances affectionately known by Dot as "Big Fran", Dot's very long-time friend, Ingrid, and also her friend, Tom.
She was predeceased by her stepson David.
The rest of the Fabbri family also mourns her loss: her stepchildren, Ernest and Barbara (Donald), the step-grandchildren: Kim, Bradley, Michael, Matthew, and their families; also, sister-in-law Blanche in BC and David's widow, Bonnie.

Dot, my very dear friend, my chosen family: I miss you already. I will love you forever. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for all you have done for me. It was an honour and a privilege to care for you, love you, and be with you in the last moments of your time on this earth. You will never be sad again, you will never be scared again, you will smile forever. You truly have finally made it home. I'll cherish the memories of our time together to eternity. Thank you, for you.
Love always, Patti xo. PS: enjoy your walkies with Benny with the beautiful sun shining in your beautiful faces.

Thank you, especially, to Kenny from Just Like Family Home-Care who came to us at a time when we needed her the most, and to all the wonderful young women who cared for Dot at night. And to all the private care workers and friends who helped care for Dot with such kindness and reverence. It has meant the world. Angels, all of you. Your smiles, she'll always remember.
And last, but not least, to Palliative Care and especially to Dr. Bruce Martin. The respect you gave to Dot this past year will never be forgotten.

Chapel Lawn Funeral Home
204-885-9715

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jan 02, 2021