Margaret Joy Church
September 8, 1957-December 26, 2019
Sadly, we announce the passing of Margaret Church who passed away on December 26, 2019 at the Dryden Regional Health Centre with her family by her side after a short battle with cancer. Margaret was born on September 8, 1957 to Leona and Gordon Church in Dryden, ON. She spent her childhood living on Morton road with her family, attending Sprucedale Elementary School and then Dryden High School. She completed all her swimming courses and worked as a lifeguard in Vermilion Bay. Marg then got on her 10-speed bicycle and rode to Kelowna, B.C with her friend Carol. In 1978, she moved to Thunder Bay, ON to study Hotel and Restaurant Management at Confederation College. Marg then moved to Winnipeg, where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Psychology. In 1997, she received her Certificate in Marriage and Family Theory. With her many skills and education, Marg was the director of Operation Go Home which helped get underprivileged youth off the streets. Marg’s passion for helping children brought her to work at St. Amant as a Foster Care Facilitator from 2002 onward. She considered her foster families like her family. She sponsored Joseling, an underprivileged child from Nicaragua for many years.
Margaret lived a healthy, active life and has always had a gym membership. She loved the outdoors which included hiking, camping, canoeing, kayaking, rollerblading and skiing. She enjoyed teaching as a fitness instructor, doing yoga and swimming. She competed every year in the MS Bike Tour and triathlons and was awarded a plaque for completing 15 years. She was involved in many different clubs like Sandilands Ski Club, Charleswood Ski Club and Bike Club. She enjoyed doing most of these activities in the Fall, as there were no ticks. She loved living in Winnipeg for the many musical concerts and different cultural activities. Marg was a world traveller, going to Italy, Denmark, France, Spain, Ireland, England, Hawaii, Australia and many other places. Her favourite place to travel was Switzerland. She did much of her travelling with her partner Rob. Her last trip was to Ireland with her stepson Jeff Sendall, where they shared many exciting memories. She loved spending time with her nieces and nephews in Ontario and her grandkids in Winnipeg. She would spend every Christmas at her sister Lois’s. She had a great love for clothes shopping and jewelry shopping. One of her greatest loves was caring for her trusted canine companion, Dexter. She was true to her faith, regularly attending Church of the Rock with her friend Linda.
Margaret will be missed by her siblings, Ross (Kandi) and Brad (Michelle) of Dryden, Lois (Gord) of Vermilion Bay, stepsons Kevin (Jennifer), Steve (Diana) and Jeff Sendall of Winnipeg. She will be missed by her nieces Amber, Allison, Mackenzie, Morgan, Abigail, Monica and Mandy, and nephews Brendan and Brodie. Margaret will also be missed by her Aunt Dot Watson who shared a special relationship and had lunch with every Monday. She will also be missed by her best friend Laurie Mackenzie. She will also be dearly missed by her grandchildren Bauer, Bennett, and Hunter Sendall, as well as her loving dog, Dexter. Marg will be missed by many other friends and relatives.
Marg was predeceased by her parents, Leona and Gordon Church, grandparents, Agatha and Charles Smith, Bea and Stan Church Sr, partner Rob Sendall, and old canine companions Cujo and Tara.
There will be a Celebration of Life to Celebrate Margaret’s Life at the Vermilion Bay Pavilion on September 19, 2020 at 2 p.m. with Pastor Alex Timm officiating.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the St. Amant Foundation through the Stevens Funeral Homes P.O. Box 412, Dryden ON P8N 2Z1. Condolences may be posted at www.stevensfuneralhomes.ca
