How They Lived
Yvonne Larner successfully ran an insurance business for 46 years after taking over Bell Insurance from her dad.
Yvonne, who died on July 4, started in the business at a time when most insurance brokers were men.
She was proud to be the first female broker to sign an agreement with Manitoba Public Insurance when Autopac — the provincial government’s vehicle insurance program — was created in 1972.
She also volunteered with Quota International, a women’s service club, for more than 40 years. Read more about Yvonne.
Rick Donovan took a bullet in service of the city.
Rick, who was 73 when he died on June 30, was a Winnipeg police officer when he was shot in the chest in 1984.
His survival was credited to the bullet-proof vest he was wearing; he was one of the first city officers to wear one.
But Rick’s years of service took a toll. He later suffered post-traumatic stress disorder, which made it difficult for him to be in crowds or to socialize, even long after he left the force. Read more about Rick.
Mary Hrechka’s obituary lists one interesting way to become a Manitoban.
Mary, who died on July 3 at 87, was a kid in Saskatchewan who had a pen pal… in Selkirk, Man.
When Mary decided to become a psychiatric nurse, her connection to the pen pal led her to choose Selkirk for her training — and she spent her career in that community. Read more about Mary.
A Love Story: John Epp was from Ontario, but came to Winnipeg to study theology at the Mennonite Brethren Bible College, where he had to take a mandatory music-theory class taught by Katie Konrad.
Later, when John went back home to St. Catharines, Ont., to visit his family, he bumped into his former music teacher, who was also in town visiting relatives.
The two reconnected and love sparked on a Ferris wheel. They were married 66 years before Katie died on Dec. 14, 2020. John passed on July 10 at age 95. Read more about John and Katie.
Louise Lamb was a respected lawyer who was appointed as a Queen’s Counsel.
Of all her cases, as both a private lawyer and with the federal Department of Justice, Louise was proudest of helping a family in a medical malpractice case involving a child who became quadriplegic after misapplication of forceps.
Louise, who died on June 24 at age 69, stayed fit taking aquacise classes at the Sherbrook Pool — and she was a leader in the fight to save the pool from closing when it needed significant repairs. Read more about Louise.
Sobharam Singh was born in Guyana and rose to become the country’s commissioner of geological surveys and mines.
Sobharam, who was 90 when he died on July 11, was so well respected for his work he was given a national honour, the Golden Arrow of Achievement.
He came to Canada in 1974, and joined the province’s mineral division, later rising to become assistant deputy minister of mines. Read more about Sobharam.
Judy Brown loved to curl.
Judy, who died on July 9 at 83, was president of the Manitoba Ladies Curling Association, and multi-term president of both the Grain Exchange and Wildewood Ladies.
During her time as MLCA president, she was also part of the board for the 1991 World Curling Championship, which was held in Winnipeg.
She continued to curl into her late 70s and was inducted into the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame. Read more about Judy.
A Life’s Story
Gunvor Larsson was the longtime matriarch of the city’s Swedish community.
And Gunvor was also akin to a Swedish welcome wagon.
Back in the 1970s, Gunvor and her husband opened up their home and dinner table to the Swedes who came to play for the original Winnipeg Jets, back during their World Hockey Association days. Names like Elf Nilsson, Anders Hedberg and Willy Lindstrom.
SUPPLIED Gunvor Larsson – Passages feature 95th birthday Winnipeg Free Press 2022
“Gunvor welcomed them all,” said her friend, Sonja Lundstrom. “The players’ wives helped her with the cultural events and she’d look after their kids. She even taught some of them Swedish.”
To read more about Gunvor’s life — and how she was a founder of Folklorama — go here.
I’m going away on vacation for awhile so you won’t be seeing another Passages newsletter until later in August. Until then, I hope you continue to write your own Life’s Story.
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