Obituary for Leona Marie St. Onge (Decloux)
Obituary – Léona St. Onge
Léona Marie St. Onge (née Decloux)
November 11, 1943 – October 11, 2021
Léona St. Onge passed away October 11 after suffering for too long with Parkinson’s disease and dementia.
She was predeceased by the love of her life, Jean-Paul, her sister Jeannine, and her brother-in-law and dear friend Aimé. She will be missed by her daughter Suzanne, her sons Marc (Kim) and Danny, her grandchildren Sebastien, Sasha, Léa and Ben, her brother Ray (Lucy), sister Linda (Blair), brother-in-law Ray (Linda), her nieces and nephews and many cherished friends.
Born in Winnipeg, Léona grew up in St. Boniface and St. Vital and married her high school sweetheart, John, in 1966. Together, they had three kids who completed their family. She worked as a medical lab technologist, having trained at St. Boniface Hospital and then starting her career at Winnipeg Clinic. She paused work when she and John started their family. After John’s death in 1983, Léona went back to work, first as a Returning Officer with Elections Canada, then with the Canadian Census before ultimately landing a lab tech position in Hematology at CancerCare Manitoba, working alongside her sister Jeannine. She retired in 2008 from there after 22 years.
Mom was a passionate volunteer. She served in the Catholic Women’s League for 35 years at Christ the King Church and was a reader at mass for many years. She was a volunteer usher with MTC for over 40 years. Proud of her Belgian heritage, and along with her sisters, she worked the Belgian pavilion at Folklorama. And she spent lots of time supporting her kids as a volunteer with Girl Guides, Scouts and Special Olympics Bowling.
She was a strong, resilient and loving woman. Faced with raising a child with special needs, being suddenly widowed at the age of 39, tackling single parenthood, and re-entering the workforce after over 13 years, she never made her kids feel like it was a struggle. Later, she bore the challenge of her Parkinson’s disease with grace and occasional swearing.
Mom loved camping and road trips. The family spent many summers in the tent trailer at Blue Lake, Rushing River and Spruce Woods as well as on road trips to BC and Thunder Bay. As her kids got older, she was able to travel more, visiting Marc in California and Ottawa and travelling to Europe and Africa.
She was the gadget lady, always having the tool for the job. Need a mini whisk? A pudding mixer? A pickle fork? Léona was your gal.
Mom loved to laugh. She could never tell a joke properly, which often made them funnier. Rarely the instigator, she was always willing to go along with whatever shenanigan, laughing hard with her breathy wheeze to the point of being out of control.
Léona, as we knew her, left us in 2020 as dementia really took hold. But as we let go of that version of her, we got to know a new version, and enjoyed her tales of imagined (but very real to her) trips to California every weekend or of her illicit activities in Brandon with “Tammy the cop”. Her disease at least allowed her some final adventures.
Heartfelt thanks to the compassionate nurses and staff at ActionMarguerite St. Vital for their care of mom over the past year and half, made especially challenging due to the pandemic.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to Parkinson Canada or Special Olympics Manitoba.
Funeral events will be held at the end of October. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, attendance must be limited. For more information and to request an invitation, please email at LeonaFuneralService@gmail.com.
E.J. Coutu & Co. Funeral Directors
204-253-5086
Léona Marie St. Onge (née Decloux)
November 11, 1943 – October 11, 2021
Léona St. Onge passed away October 11 after suffering for too long with Parkinson’s disease and dementia.
She was predeceased by the love of her life, Jean-Paul, her sister Jeannine, and her brother-in-law and dear friend Aimé. She will be missed by her daughter Suzanne, her sons Marc (Kim) and Danny, her grandchildren Sebastien, Sasha, Léa and Ben, her brother Ray (Lucy), sister Linda (Blair), brother-in-law Ray (Linda), her nieces and nephews and many cherished friends.
Born in Winnipeg, Léona grew up in St. Boniface and St. Vital and married her high school sweetheart, John, in 1966. Together, they had three kids who completed their family. She worked as a medical lab technologist, having trained at St. Boniface Hospital and then starting her career at Winnipeg Clinic. She paused work when she and John started their family. After John’s death in 1983, Léona went back to work, first as a Returning Officer with Elections Canada, then with the Canadian Census before ultimately landing a lab tech position in Hematology at CancerCare Manitoba, working alongside her sister Jeannine. She retired in 2008 from there after 22 years.
Mom was a passionate volunteer. She served in the Catholic Women’s League for 35 years at Christ the King Church and was a reader at mass for many years. She was a volunteer usher with MTC for over 40 years. Proud of her Belgian heritage, and along with her sisters, she worked the Belgian pavilion at Folklorama. And she spent lots of time supporting her kids as a volunteer with Girl Guides, Scouts and Special Olympics Bowling.
She was a strong, resilient and loving woman. Faced with raising a child with special needs, being suddenly widowed at the age of 39, tackling single parenthood, and re-entering the workforce after over 13 years, she never made her kids feel like it was a struggle. Later, she bore the challenge of her Parkinson’s disease with grace and occasional swearing.
Mom loved camping and road trips. The family spent many summers in the tent trailer at Blue Lake, Rushing River and Spruce Woods as well as on road trips to BC and Thunder Bay. As her kids got older, she was able to travel more, visiting Marc in California and Ottawa and travelling to Europe and Africa.
She was the gadget lady, always having the tool for the job. Need a mini whisk? A pudding mixer? A pickle fork? Léona was your gal.
Mom loved to laugh. She could never tell a joke properly, which often made them funnier. Rarely the instigator, she was always willing to go along with whatever shenanigan, laughing hard with her breathy wheeze to the point of being out of control.
Léona, as we knew her, left us in 2020 as dementia really took hold. But as we let go of that version of her, we got to know a new version, and enjoyed her tales of imagined (but very real to her) trips to California every weekend or of her illicit activities in Brandon with “Tammy the cop”. Her disease at least allowed her some final adventures.
Heartfelt thanks to the compassionate nurses and staff at ActionMarguerite St. Vital for their care of mom over the past year and half, made especially challenging due to the pandemic.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to Parkinson Canada or Special Olympics Manitoba.
Funeral events will be held at the end of October. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, attendance must be limited. For more information and to request an invitation, please email at LeonaFuneralService@gmail.com.
E.J. Coutu & Co. Funeral Directors
204-253-5086