How They Lived
Cliff Derksen lost a lot in life — his 13-year-old daughter Candace was murdered and he was looked at for a time as a suspect — but he never lost his faith.
Cliff, who was 76 when he died on May 22, and his wife Wilma took his grief and devoted it for good, helping found Child Find.
He also opened his own janitorial business, First Impressions Janitorial Services, employing up to 17 staff before retiring last year.
Cliff also found peace and a way of expressing his pain and healing through the arts, becoming a painter, photographer and sculptor.
Free Press writer John Longhurst covered Derksen’s funeral for the paper. Read more about Cliff.
Betty Brownlee was born to be a teacher.
Betty, who was 91 when she died on March 16, grew up at her dad’s teacherage and later earned an education degree.
She taught in Swan River and Manitou — where she met her husband — and then in Winnipeg at several schools, including Nelson McIntyre, Silver Heights, and St. James Collegiate.
Betty also a trailblazer for women: she was a math teacher at a time when the subject was mostly taught by men. Read more about Betty.
Scott Merrell was longtime COO and CFO of Western Glove/Silver Jeans — and also an organ recipient.
Scott, who died on May 25 at 74, was a chartered accountant who worked in various places before joining Western Glove. He retired in 2018.
Through the years, Scott also had a long battle with sarcoidosis. He received a double lung transplant in 2007, which gave him 15 more years of life, during which he watched his daughter marry, became a grandfather, and celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary. Read more about Scott.
It makes sense to see Nanny Robertson pictured in water in the photo with her obituary.
That’s because Nanny, who died on May 13 at 79, was president of the Seahawks Water Polo Club and the Manitoba Water Polo Association and, in the mid-1980s, raised money for the national women’s water polo program to compete in Europe.
To be able to play water polo, you need to be able to swim — so in the 1970s and 1980s, she offered swim lessons to hundreds of children in her own backyard pool. It was so successful the Red Cross even had her test their newest badge program. Read more about Nanny.
John Caron had a rough start in life — he was only eight when he was orphaned.
But John, who died on May 30 at 86, later became a success in business.
First, John later worked for the Canadian Air Force as a civilian in the Yukon.
He and his wife later co-founded Concor Industries, which makes core storage systems for the mining industry. He also built mining camps. Read more about John.
Ron Wasylycia-Leis left behind a legacy of helping others.
Ron, who died on May 21, was an activist for equality rights and was heavily involved in his community. He was a member of the Bannerman Green housing co-op and sat on the board of Epic Opportunities, a support organization for people living with disabilities, where his son received services. He “brought laughter and joy, as well as tech support, to every family and neighbourhood gathering.”
Ron died just three months short of his 50th wedding anniversary with Judy, a former MLA and MP. Read more about Ron.
A Life’s Story
Jim Keilback spent 40 years behind a microphone helping sports fans follow their teams.
Jim, who died in April at 96, worked in broadcasting at stations from Yorktown, to Winnipeg to Phoenix and covered sports from football to hockey to horse racing.
Keilback’s career took him to Yorkton, Regina, Brandon, Winnipeg, Kenora, Phoenix and Tucson, where he covered amateur and professional teams in hockey, baseball, football, curling, golf and horse racing. (Supplied)
His career even inspired his son, Curt, to go into broadcasting himself.
“I watched the (Winnipeg) Warriors win the Edinburgh Cup when Billy Mosienko was on the team,” Curt said.
“I saw how much fun my dad and his buddy Cactus Jack Wells were having and I decided I wanted to be a hockey broadcaster too.”
Read more about Jim’s life.
Until next time, I hope you continue to write your own life’s story.
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