DARLENE AUDREY COX

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DARLENE AUDREY COX

It’s with a heavy heart that we announce Darlene’s passing on April 19, 2026, at the age of 77 after a hard-fought battle with Ovarian Cancer. A woman of firm mind and a kind heart – heaven just got another warrior.

Darlene was born April 11, 1949, in Melfort Saskatchewan to Peter and Pauline Wowchuk. She attended primary and high school in Saskatoon, graduating from Murdoch MacKay Collegiate in 1967. Her 30-year career as a Medical Lab Technician was exclusively with St. Boniface Hospital, working in the Haematology Lab and then the Hemodialysis Unit. There wasn’t a vein that Darlene couldn’t find.

Darlene’s love of cottage life began in 1967 at Ottermere, where she met her “sweetie” Larry Cox. They were married in 1970 and together built their own cottage, spending most weekends and every summer meticulously crafting a very special home away from home. Basking in the sun and the simple joy of feeding squirrels, chipmunks and birds quickly became a daily ritual.

Never afraid of hard work, Darlene is the one who did it all. Hauling cottage supplies, launching the boat, planting and tending a garden, picking wild blueberries, cooking and baking from scratch, and passing the time with crafting skills that would make anyone envious: knitting, crocheting, needle point, painting and wood burning. Being the queen of discipline and efficiency, Darlene accomplished more before most of us got out of bed.

With a steel trap mind for details, we could always count on Darlene to be the keeper of family history, the one who never forgot a date, and the one who remembered your lab results from 10 years ago.

Darlene is survived by her husband Larry Cox; siblings Shirley Norek, Pat Hawthorn, Connie Baumbusch, Terry Wowchuk and Dave Wowchuk; brother-in-law Ken Cox Jr. and sister-in-law Beverley Bright; and many nieces & nephews. She was predeceased by her parents Peter and Pauline Wowchuk and by parents-in-law Ken and Doris Cox.

The family extends its sincere appreciation to Dr. Erin Dean and her team at CancerCare Manitoba, and the nursing staff and care aides at HSC Women’s Centre 5 Floor for their compassionate care over the last 2 weeks of Darlene’s life.

Darlene was cremated and a Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations can be made to the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation at: support.cancercarefdn.mb.ca/memorial

donation.

Tribute Link: seasonsfunerals.com

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As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Apr 25, 2026