Honouring a pioneer

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This article was published 12/10/2024 (652 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Few phrases define Linda Kisil better than the one she professed over and over again during an 18-month battle with pancreatic cancer.

“She kept saying, ‘Why me?’ but then she in the same breath would say, ‘Why not me?’” recalled Murray Chimilar about his loving partner of 23 years, who never wavered in her belief that she would outwill the vicious disease.

It was that persevering attitude that Kisil carried with her in every facet of life until she died on June 16, her 70th birthday.

“Absolutely a fighter,” is how Chimilar, struggling through tears, described Kisil, a breast cancer survivor in 2009 who underwent 10 rounds of chemotherapy in her last fight. “Absolutely so strong, so strong-minded, so determined that she was going to beat this and that she wanted to beat it.”

A warrior at her worst and a trailblazer at her best.

Kisil, born and raised in the Manitoba capital, was a Winnipegger to her core who had a profound impact on the city’s law enforcement and fitness industry.

Shortly after graduating from high school, Kisil was hired by the Winnipeg Police Service as a clerk in 1973. Three years later, she was assigned as a constable, which was already considered a bold career choice for a woman, with less than 40 females employed by the force at the time.

“She just felt like she wanted to make a difference and she wanted to help people,” said Chimilar, who worked 25 years as a correctional officer.

“She wanted to be a leader, and she set her sights on it, and she mastered it like you wouldn’t believe.”

Indeed, simply being on active duty wasn’t good enough for Kisil, who, in April of 1987, made history as the first female officer in Winnipeg promoted to the rank of sergeant.

Shelley Hart was in her eighth year of service during the barrier-breaking moment. She called it a personal victory for Kisil and a monumental step forward for women in the force.

“Even saying it now, the importance of it is understated. You don’t know what it’s like to be on a job with (1,059) people and there wasn’t a single woman in any promoted rank — and then she became promoted. I often refer to it as a tectonic shift that occurred because what that did was it let all the other women on the job know that, all of a sudden, promotion is a possibility,” said Hart, who later became the first female promoted to the rank of inspector and is the only woman to have held the role of deputy chief.

Hart provided a eulogy at Kisil’s service in July to encapsulate what she meant to the force. Though Hart and Kisil rarely worked closely and did not spend time together outside of the office, they certainly knew who each other was and were tied because of the barriers they each broke for women in blue.

“I can’t speak for other women but I really never even thought of being promoted,” Hart continued. “All of a sudden, the future was in front of me. That barrier and what she must’ve gone through — I know what it was like to be a promoted woman on that job and that was after Linda. Being the first one to go through that process within the WPS, I don’t think anybody could truly understand how difficult that was.”

It wouldn’t be the first time Kisil pushed an organization forward. Along with being hard on crime, she became a pillar for promoting health and wellness around the province.

Kisil was a member of the Manitoba Fitness Council for 32 years and took her advocacy for well-being to another level when she joined the Wellness Institute as a fitness instructor in 1996.

Known for her tough-love teaching style, Kisil instructed spin classes and led other group training classes, helping hundreds — maybe thousands — lead a healthier lifestyle.

Lori Orchard, coordinator of adult and children’s fitness programs at the Wellness, called Kisil’s influence on the growth of the fitness industry in the province “far-reaching.”

“She was one of those instructors that people would go, ‘Oh no, she’s here,’ but loved every minute of it because she was tough but she was also such an inspiring leader and so understanding of her participants’ needs so she could adjust her workouts to meet all the needs but also challenge them really well,” said Orchard, who became colleagues with Kisil in 2019 and knew her for more than 30 years.

Kisil became one of the Manitoba Fitness Council’s most requested professionals to mentor aspiring fitness instructors before they completed their certification and, even in her later years as a part-time instructor at the Wellness, was a go-to resource for employees of the clinic.

“I really felt that the commitment and dedication that she put into all her police work, definitely she had the same passion and commitment here at the Wellness. This was her second career,” said Orchard.

Kisil brought the same passion to her relationship each day with Chimilar, who has worked tirelessly to honour his partner to the fullest since she passed.

In July, Chimilar organized a large service, titled “Honouring a Pioneer,” which was held at their home just beyond the north perimeter and was attended by nearly 200 people.

The service featured former chief of the police department, Devon Clunis, who was the minister; two honour guards; a member of the Winnipeg Police Pipe Band playing Amazing Grace; a 21-gun salute; and a police presence at the front of the driveway, with officers escorting each guest to the backyard.

It wasn’t a funeral, it was a production that required weeks of planning and a rehearsal to ensure it was executed to the highest ability — the standard Kisil lived by.

“It’s a big deal and I wanted a big deal. I wanted to honour her in the absolute best way I could,” said Chimilar.

“Linda made me a better person, she made me a stronger person. She made me feel like I had confidence. She never looked down on me, I never looked down on her. She made me persevere, she made me enjoy life.

“We just enjoyed life together, she taught me how to enjoy life together. And I’ll never forget that.”

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca