Obituary for Lucillle Jean Magne (Lesia, Lasha) (née Brechka)
On Tuesday, May 9th, 2023, Lucille was ‘born into eternal life’ in the comfort and peace of her home, surrounded by the love of her family.
Left to cherish Lucille’s memory are daughters Dianne (Frank) and Debbie; grandchildren Heather (Chris), Daniel (Erin) and Eric; and great-grandchildren Tegan, Blake, Kaia, Saige & Nolan.
She will be deeply missed by her sisters: Betty, Trish (Bill), Mary Anne (Peter), and Marlene (René), sisters-in-law: Audrey and Monica; nieces and nephews Danny, Terri, Curtis, Kim, Lisa, Brad, David, and Michelle; Bruno's family including Thérèse, Yvonne and Antoine; and other relatives and friends throughout Canada, USA and Australia.
Lucille was predeceased by her loving husband of 43 years, Bruno; parents Michael & Mary (Bachinski); brothers John, Bill & Jimmy; grandson Ryan; niece Rhea; in-laws Paul & Rosa (Bosc); as well as many aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers/sisters-in-law, and friends.
Lucille was the first of 8 children born to Mike & Mary, on February 8, 1935, in Brandon. With impeccable timing, she arrived on her parents first wedding anniversary! What a way to celebrate.
She attended David Livingston & Earl Oxford schools & graduated from St. Michael’s Academy. She was an enormous help to her mother in caring for her siblings and enjoyed working with her father in their grocery/confectionary store. She loved music, excelled at the piano, and tinkered with the violin and mandolin. She sang in the choir at St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Church and participated in their Youth Group where she developed life-long friendships with Ruth, Elsie & Annie. She was full of life, had a great sense of humour and enjoyed a variety of activities such as playing in a bowling league and getting all dolled up in stylish dresses and size 3 high heels to dance the night away at the Palladium Dance Hall.
Lucille’s first job outside of the family store was car hopping as a teenager. Then, while studying at Business College she was recruited for the 1st of her many positions within the federal government. She was admired for her strong work ethic, attention to detail, organizational skills, patience, and willingness to help others. She worked her way up to a supervisory position and while working for the Unemployment Insurance Commission in Brandon she met her soul mate Bruno.
Their life together began when they married on July 8, 1972, and became a family of four including Bruno’s two daughters Dianne and Debbie. In 1973, Bruno was promoted, and the family moved to Winnipeg.
Their new home became the setting for many family celebrations. With Lash’s gift for hospitality there was always an abundance of food and drink, and no one ever left empty handed. Lash always sent you home with leftovers and something from her garden, freezer, or pantry. Overnight visitors were not only spoiled with delicious homemade meals and desserts, but were also treated with outings to local attractions, events, and festivals.
Lucille was very adventurous and well-travelled. While single, she toured Japan and Europe and after her marriage enjoyed camping across North America in their small Triple E trailer and later in their motorhome. Most trips were built around visits with family and friends. Lash wrote very detailed journals and postcards for every trip and was a great navigator for Bruno. She was better than a GPS because she had a knack for finding interesting attractions that were off the beaten path. Upon retirement, they became snowbirds and enjoyed trips to Alaska, the Holy Land, Egypt, and the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Lash was a proud Ukrainian/Polish Canadian, Manitoban and an unofficial ambassador of Winnipeg, the province and indeed the whole country. She always travelled with a supply of pins, garlic sausage, Winnie the Pooh paraphernalia and travel brochures to share with those she met on her travels. She educated hundreds if not thousands of people on the true origin of Winnie the Pooh.
She enjoyed the outdoors and spending long hours tending to her vegetable garden and distributing the bounty to friends and family. The quantity harvested was incredible. She probably inherited her love of nature and green thumb from her grandparents and uncles who worked the land as market gardeners. Her flower beds and hanging baskets were lush and colourful. She recently started to grow Milkweed to attract monarch butterflies and help to prevent their extinction. She was successful in attracting the monarchs and enjoyed watching all the growth stages while the caterpillar miraculously developed into a butterfly. A picture of one of the actual monarchs that metamorphized in her yard is on the back of the memorial card.
Lash was very generous, caring, and sensitive to the needs of others. She supported many charities and soup kitchens and would buy extras of “everything” to share with friends, family, and strangers. On her trips, she would bring back more things for gifting than for herself. She demonstrated her love for others and made them feel special and thought of with personalized letters sent with mass, prayer or greeting cards that were sent for every occasion or “just because.”
She was a longtime and faithful member of Christ the King Church. She participated in The Rosary, Stations of the Cross, and Healing Masses as often as she was able. She enjoyed supporting all the fundraising events, bringing special treats to coffee after 9 am mass and visiting with her church family. Her faith was strong and allowed her to manage her journey through Cancer without complaint and to be at peace.
We are extremely grateful to the Palliative Care Program and the amazing team of nurses and health care aids that assisted the family in providing compassionate care to Lucille as we helped her to remain at home according to her wishes. Thank you to the team at Cancer Care Manitoba, Dr. Dean and Dr. Robinson for their excellent care over the past 5 years. Thank you also to friends and family for their love and prayers.
Funeral will be held at Christ the King Roman Catholic Church on Friday, May 26, 2023, at 11:30 am, located at 847 St. Mary’s Road. Interment will be at the Brandon Cemetery at a later date.
In memory of Lucille, donations can be made to Christ the King Church: 847 St. Mary’s Road, Winnipeg, MB R2K 1P3; Siloam Mission: 300 Princess Street, Winnipeg, MB R3B 1M3; Cancer Care Manitoba Foundation: 1160 – 675 McDermot Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0V9; or a charity of your choice.
You will always be in our hearts.
.
Left to cherish Lucille’s memory are daughters Dianne (Frank) and Debbie; grandchildren Heather (Chris), Daniel (Erin) and Eric; and great-grandchildren Tegan, Blake, Kaia, Saige & Nolan.
She will be deeply missed by her sisters: Betty, Trish (Bill), Mary Anne (Peter), and Marlene (René), sisters-in-law: Audrey and Monica; nieces and nephews Danny, Terri, Curtis, Kim, Lisa, Brad, David, and Michelle; Bruno's family including Thérèse, Yvonne and Antoine; and other relatives and friends throughout Canada, USA and Australia.
Lucille was predeceased by her loving husband of 43 years, Bruno; parents Michael & Mary (Bachinski); brothers John, Bill & Jimmy; grandson Ryan; niece Rhea; in-laws Paul & Rosa (Bosc); as well as many aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers/sisters-in-law, and friends.
Lucille was the first of 8 children born to Mike & Mary, on February 8, 1935, in Brandon. With impeccable timing, she arrived on her parents first wedding anniversary! What a way to celebrate.
She attended David Livingston & Earl Oxford schools & graduated from St. Michael’s Academy. She was an enormous help to her mother in caring for her siblings and enjoyed working with her father in their grocery/confectionary store. She loved music, excelled at the piano, and tinkered with the violin and mandolin. She sang in the choir at St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Church and participated in their Youth Group where she developed life-long friendships with Ruth, Elsie & Annie. She was full of life, had a great sense of humour and enjoyed a variety of activities such as playing in a bowling league and getting all dolled up in stylish dresses and size 3 high heels to dance the night away at the Palladium Dance Hall.
Lucille’s first job outside of the family store was car hopping as a teenager. Then, while studying at Business College she was recruited for the 1st of her many positions within the federal government. She was admired for her strong work ethic, attention to detail, organizational skills, patience, and willingness to help others. She worked her way up to a supervisory position and while working for the Unemployment Insurance Commission in Brandon she met her soul mate Bruno.
Their life together began when they married on July 8, 1972, and became a family of four including Bruno’s two daughters Dianne and Debbie. In 1973, Bruno was promoted, and the family moved to Winnipeg.
Their new home became the setting for many family celebrations. With Lash’s gift for hospitality there was always an abundance of food and drink, and no one ever left empty handed. Lash always sent you home with leftovers and something from her garden, freezer, or pantry. Overnight visitors were not only spoiled with delicious homemade meals and desserts, but were also treated with outings to local attractions, events, and festivals.
Lucille was very adventurous and well-travelled. While single, she toured Japan and Europe and after her marriage enjoyed camping across North America in their small Triple E trailer and later in their motorhome. Most trips were built around visits with family and friends. Lash wrote very detailed journals and postcards for every trip and was a great navigator for Bruno. She was better than a GPS because she had a knack for finding interesting attractions that were off the beaten path. Upon retirement, they became snowbirds and enjoyed trips to Alaska, the Holy Land, Egypt, and the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Lash was a proud Ukrainian/Polish Canadian, Manitoban and an unofficial ambassador of Winnipeg, the province and indeed the whole country. She always travelled with a supply of pins, garlic sausage, Winnie the Pooh paraphernalia and travel brochures to share with those she met on her travels. She educated hundreds if not thousands of people on the true origin of Winnie the Pooh.
She enjoyed the outdoors and spending long hours tending to her vegetable garden and distributing the bounty to friends and family. The quantity harvested was incredible. She probably inherited her love of nature and green thumb from her grandparents and uncles who worked the land as market gardeners. Her flower beds and hanging baskets were lush and colourful. She recently started to grow Milkweed to attract monarch butterflies and help to prevent their extinction. She was successful in attracting the monarchs and enjoyed watching all the growth stages while the caterpillar miraculously developed into a butterfly. A picture of one of the actual monarchs that metamorphized in her yard is on the back of the memorial card.
Lash was very generous, caring, and sensitive to the needs of others. She supported many charities and soup kitchens and would buy extras of “everything” to share with friends, family, and strangers. On her trips, she would bring back more things for gifting than for herself. She demonstrated her love for others and made them feel special and thought of with personalized letters sent with mass, prayer or greeting cards that were sent for every occasion or “just because.”
She was a longtime and faithful member of Christ the King Church. She participated in The Rosary, Stations of the Cross, and Healing Masses as often as she was able. She enjoyed supporting all the fundraising events, bringing special treats to coffee after 9 am mass and visiting with her church family. Her faith was strong and allowed her to manage her journey through Cancer without complaint and to be at peace.
We are extremely grateful to the Palliative Care Program and the amazing team of nurses and health care aids that assisted the family in providing compassionate care to Lucille as we helped her to remain at home according to her wishes. Thank you to the team at Cancer Care Manitoba, Dr. Dean and Dr. Robinson for their excellent care over the past 5 years. Thank you also to friends and family for their love and prayers.
Funeral will be held at Christ the King Roman Catholic Church on Friday, May 26, 2023, at 11:30 am, located at 847 St. Mary’s Road. Interment will be at the Brandon Cemetery at a later date.
In memory of Lucille, donations can be made to Christ the King Church: 847 St. Mary’s Road, Winnipeg, MB R2K 1P3; Siloam Mission: 300 Princess Street, Winnipeg, MB R3B 1M3; Cancer Care Manitoba Foundation: 1160 – 675 McDermot Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0V9; or a charity of your choice.
You will always be in our hearts.
.