LAURAN GAIL WARRIAN

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LAURAN GAIL WARRIAN

October 28, 1947 - April 12, 2025

Peacefully on April 12, 2025, at the age of 77, Lauran Warrian passed away in the early morning hours, at her home in Winnipeg, with her husband by her side.

She will be lovingly remembered by her husband Dr. R. Keith Warrian; daughter Allison Warrian and son-in-law Sonny Leader; son Dr. Kevin Warrian and daughter-in-law Hsiu-Yan Chan of Calgary, AB; and her grandchildren Elliot Leader, and Ava and Blake Warrian; her siblings-in-law Dr. Garnet and Rita Warrian of Dauphin, MB, and Dr. Jim and Betty Harrow of Alexander City, AL; as well as nieces, nephews, and cousins. Lauran was predeceased by her father Lawrence Eglin when she was just four years old in 1952, and her mother Edith Eglin in 2004.

Lauran was born at the Selkirk General Hospital in 1947. As a child she loved dressing up her many dolls and playing with her dog Skipper. She enjoyed piano, skating and curling, and also took golf lessons. Lauran and her mum, along with their pet budgies, spent summers at their cottage at Stephenson’s Point. She attended Sunday School at Selkirk United Church, and was a member of Jobs Daughters International Bethel #4. Lauran and her mum Edith faced life’s ups and downs together and with equanimity.

Lauran and Keith were married at the Selkirk United Church on February 10, 1973. While her husband pursued his surgical studies, Lauran studied history at the University of Winnipeg. Their early adventures as husband and wife took them from Winnipeg to Kelowna, BC, and eventually to Houston, TX. While in Texas, Lauran's natural curiosity led her to pursue studies in Spanish, which she practiced while making friends with their neighbours. In 1982, Lauran and Keith returned to Winnipeg with their two young children.

Lauran was a creative and artistic individual. She played the piano and studied music theory, harmony, and history. Her children awoke in the morning to the sound of her practising. Her music filled their home with melodies woven into family memories. In later years, painting emerged as her primary artistic expression, with her home showcasing a gallery wall of her work.

Lauran was a wonderful cook, able to taste a recipe just by reading it. Her meals and pretty table settings were a centrepiece of birthday and holiday celebrations. She sewed and knitted beautiful clothes for her children. These were skills her mother had taught her, and that she had honed as a child while making things for her dolls. Lauran also enjoyed needlepoint and has left many lovely heirlooms.

Lauran nurtured the passions of those she loved and provided unwavering support and encouragement. She supported her husband in a demanding career, and devoted countless hours to filling their children’s formative years with cello, piano, and violin lessons, and ballet and martial arts classes.

As her children began their university studies, Lauran became a sales representative for Avon. In this position, spanning over a decade, she received many awards recognizing her hard work. What she enjoyed most was the opportunity to interact with and meet people in her community, and she treasured the relationships that blossomed into friendships.

Lauran had a good sense of fun and was almost always the instigator of the plans that became favourite family memories. A lover of animals, it was she who found and brought the well-loved pets into the home. She chose the concerts and took her family to see the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and the Manitoba Opera. She was the one who booked the family trips and created the adventures.

Lauran was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star throughout her life; first with Selkirk Chapter #35, serving as matron in 1996, and later with Friendship Chapter #67. She was proud to receive her 50 year pin in 2015.

We remain forever grateful for Lauran’s exemplary presence as a role model. She was kind and caring, and her selflessness inspired deep appreciation among her family and friends. She also possessed fierce determination, remarkable bravery, and profound patience—qualities that shone brightly during the two years and four months that she lived with cancer. Throughout this challenge, she remained unflinching and without complaint, reminding those around her that "life is precious.”

Lauran’s family wishes to extend their thanks to Dr. Andrew Maksymiuk and Mary Rose Operana, Dr. Duane Hartley, and the nurses and staff at CancerCare Manitoba.

A Celebration of Life will be held at a later time. Donations in honour of Lauran’s life may be made to the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation, 1160 – 675 McDermot Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 0V9, 204-787-4143, www.cancercare.mb.ca; or Winnipeg Pet Rescue Shelter, 12-2727 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3J 0R2, 204-832-7387, www.petrescueshelter.com; or a charity of your choice.

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As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Apr 19, 2025