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People often dream of the career they want to have.
In many cases, a person doesn’t end up having that dream come true; there are so few job openings for astronauts.
Other times, a lifelong dream comes true and you get the job you’ve always wanted. But then things change and you realize there is something else you want even more.
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That’s what happened with Ed Aune, who died on Nov. 29 at the age of 77.
Ed was born in Winnipeg, but grew up in Dufresne, Man., where his parents owned the A and C Snack Bar.
Growing up, Ed decided he wanted to be a Mountie.
After high school, Ed followed his dream and he attained it: he joined the RCMP.
But another dream had begun to take shape. Ed met Denise and, between the two dreams, he had to decide which one would come true.
They say the Mounties always get their man, but Ed got his sweetheart. He left the force to return to Manitoba and marry Denise.
The couple first lived in St. Boniface, where daughters Michelle and Ginette were born, before moving to Portage la Prairie where Sean was born.
Then, a new job opportunity came knocking. It wasn’t his original dream, but it was the career he would spend the rest of his working life in — and he was good at it.
Ed was hired to open a new Manitoba Public Insurance claims centre in Winkler, Man., and he stayed there for the next three decades until he retired in 2006.
In retirement, Ed travelled and spent time with his family.
Ed is survived by his wife of 56 years and his three children, eight grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.
Read more about Ed.
How They Lived
You can’t mention Winnipeg’s music history without mentioning Chad Allan.
Chad, who died on Nov. 21 at 80 years of age, was the original lead singer of the Guess Who.
It was Chad who sang the group’s first hit song, Shakin’ All Over, when the band was called Chad Allan and the Expressions.
It was a record company stunt — sending out copies of the single labelled only ‘Guess Who?’ to fool disc jockeys into believing it was a British band — that resulted in the group’s change of name.
After Chad left the group to go back to college, he was later tapped to host CBC’s weekly music program Let’s Go.
Chad later joined his old Guess Who bandmate, Randy Bachman, to form Brave Belt, and continued to release solo works through the years.
He was inducted into the Order of Manitoba in 2015.
Read more about Chad.
Adronica Spilchuk served up five-star food — but she didn’t run a restaurant.
Instead, Sister Adronica was kitchen supervisor at the Holy Family Home for 31 years, and she got five-star ratings.
The role was part of 76 years in religious life. Sister Adronica was first missioned in the United States to serve in food services at institutions operated by the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate.
When she returned to Canada, she trained in the arts of cooking, gardening and canning before being sent to the Holy Family Home in 1964, where she stayed until retiring in 1995. She was admitted to the same facility when her health began failing in 2011.
Read more about Sister Adronica.
Cam Mackie was an activist who helped Indigenous people and youth.
Cam, who died on May 22 at age 85, taught English at Frontier College (now Literacy Canada) while working for the railway during the day. He ended up becoming the college’s chairman and was made a member emeritus.
After organizing a march to city hall for better housing, Cam was tapped by prime minister Pearson’s government to help with its war on poverty by organizing the Company of Young Canadians. There he helped with projects across the country, including funding the National Film Board’s Indian Film Crew and the Company of Young Native Canadians.
He continued in leadership, including roles with Opportunities for Youth and the Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies.
As assistant deputy minister Indian and Northern Affairs, he appointed Indigenous leaders to head regional operations and closed most of the residential schools, leading him to be named an honorary member of the Peguis First Nation.
Read more about Cam.
Laura Hewlko’s husband always praised her pie-making skills.
That was tall praise indeed because Laura, who was 99 when she died on Nov. 27, was married to a guy who owned his own bakery in Gilbert Plains. He said his wife’s pies were better than his own bakery could produce.
Laura worked as a teacher, served two terms as a trustee with the Intermountain School Division, and volunteered as a Sunday School teacher at her church.
Read more about Laura.
Geoff McCullough was a great elementary school teacher — but he only taught for three years.
Geoff, who died on Nov. 23 at 76, instead spent 45 years in real estate administration.
His teaching skills were noted when he was hired by the Ontario Real Estate Board to teach realtors, and he was soon promoted to director of education.
Geoff moved to the Canadian Real Estate Association, and the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board, before coming to Winnipeg to lead the Winnipeg Real Estate Board for 19 years.
Read more about Geoff.
Margaret Saundry was a trailblazer for women reporting on sports.
But Margaret, who was 97 when she died on Nov. 23, never intended to get into sports reporting — or reporting at all.
She worked in financial positions at various places before joining CBC as an accountant. Before long she became a script assistant, covering sports and rubbing elbows with Ted Williams, Yogi Berra and Johnny Bench.
Margaret went on to cover sports events including the Olympics, Pan-Am Games, and Commonwealth Games. Her career is spotlighted in the book Radio Ladies: Canada’s Women on the Air.
Read more about Margaret.
Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet — not even age — kept Gordie Froom from getting mail out.
Gordie, who died Nov. 21 at age 90, worked at CP Tele-Communications for two decades before working for Northern Messenger, then being hired by Canada Post.
He worked at Canada Post as both a letter carrier and as an inside worker with parcel post for more than 30 years. He was the company’s oldest employee when he celebrated his 80th birthday at work in 2013.
Read more about Gordie.
A Life’s Story
Freda Olafson had an endless supply of strength and compassion — and she needed it through her life.
Freda, who was 90 when she died on June 21, was still a newlywed in her first year of marriage when her husband Ragnar, who she knew in the district of Reykjavik and went to high school with, suddenly was stricken by polio.
Freda Olafson standing by Ragnar’s side in the Princess Elizabeth Hospital with Ragnar’s father Oli, sister Vala and aunt Margret. (Supplied)
He spent nine months in an iron lung and, when he was released from hospital, he was a quadriplegic.
That’s when Freda’s strength and compassion came to the forefront: she helped her husband go to work and, after they had two children, to go on vacations and camping trips.
To read more about Freda’s life, go here.
Until next time, I hope you continue to write your own life’s story.
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