DORIS KRISTJANSON

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DORIS KRISTJANSON

Doris Kristjanson passed away peacefully on Monday, July 31, 2023.



The third of four daughters born to Joseph and Agnes Saundry (nee Laing) Doris grew up in Stonewall, Manitoba. She had all the virtues of one raised on the Canadian prairies during the Great Depression and was no stranger to hard work. As a child of the owner and editor of the Stonewall Argus, Doris acquired a deep respect for the English language, of which she had an impressive command, and from which her adoring students benefitted greatly throughout her career as a teacher in rural Manitoba, Winnipeg’s public school system, and during a 1982-83 sabbatical year at a school in Strasbourg, France. Affectionately known to her students as “Special K”, Doris enjoyed greatly her connections with colleagues and pupils alike.



Doris had a love for music which she expressed through her participation in the choir of the Trinity United Church, and through her community service as a member of the “Good News” guitar and vocal ensemble, playing at personal care homes throughout Winnipeg. Doris was a devoted mother, raising three kids and imparting to them the same love of languages and music that she possessed, and doing her best to pass on to them her conscientious approach to duties at home and in the workplace.



After many years of Doris’ shrewd financial management, she and Ron built their dream cottage at Balsam Bay - Lakeshore Heights, the location of many amazing family summers, rich memories, and which remains a cherished family jewel.



Doris and Ron took great pleasure and developed lifelong friendships with members of the “Volleyball Club”, who played regularly for several years, and eventually transitioned into more of a social club as time went by. Doris thoroughly enjoyed downhill skiing, was an avid curler until her late seventies, and golfer until her mid-eighties. She cherished being active and developed a wonderful circle of friends no matter the sport. Doris’ calendar was always full and included hobbies from playing bridge to creating stained glass masterpieces, bell ringing to mall walking, sewing to gardening, and the list goes on and on.



While intensely private at heart, Doris was nonetheless deeply invested in her friendships, and was both gracious and adept at hosting and entertaining at holiday celebrations with friends and colleagues, and at the family gatherings she and Ron held in their home. When her husband, Ron, who was the love of her life, was diagnosed with a metastatic cancer, Doris cut short her career to be at his side. They travelled together, went skiing with friends and family at Snowbird, and savored every moment they had with each other until Ron passed away in July of 1991. Several years after Ron’s passing and emerging eventually from the intense grief of losing her soulmate, Doris found her “new normal” with the help of her best friend and older sister, Margaret, with whom Doris travelled the world, collecting stories and memorabilia from places as far-flung as China and the Baltic Sea.



Doris eventually moved from the family home in Fort Richmond into the Renaissance, a tastefully appointed condominium on the Red River, remaining resolutely independent and enjoying an active social life and very engaged in Winnipeg’s thriving cultural scene. Later in life, her health failing, Doris moved from her condominium, initially into Rosewood Place on Wilkes Avenue, and eventually into Tuxedo Villa, where she eventually passed away.



Left to cherish her memory are her sisters, Margaret and Darlene, son Mark (Sangita), daughter Paula (Greg) and son Jon (Debbie), and her grandchildren Tejal (Brady), Jodi, Spencer, Jaime, Magnus, Sherri and Cory, and great-grandchildren Anders, Theo, Helena and Bennett, as well as nieces and nephews.



Doris was predeceased by her husband, Ronald, parents Joseph and Agnes Saundry, eldest sister Joan, and nephew Jim Henderson.



A celebration of Doris’ life will take place at Glendale Golf & Country Club, 400 Augier Ave, Winnipeg, MB from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. on August 25th.



The family wishes to express their appreciation for the excellent care Mom received over the years from her family physician, Dr. Robyn Olson, and more recently from Dr. Moran de Mueller and the staff at Tuxedo Villa.



In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Doris to CancerCare Manitoba or The Doctor Ronald Kristjanson Memorial Scholarship, University of Manitoba.

Condolences can be left at neilbardalinc.com



NEIL BARDAL

FUNERAL CENTRE

204-949-2200

neilbardalinc.com

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As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Aug 05, 2023