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It is with great sorrow that we announce the death of our daughter, Joanne Beverly Purvis, who passed away at age 64 years on Sunday, August 4, 2019 at Seven Oaks Hospital, Winnipeg, with her children at her side.

Joanne is survived by four children: sons, Mike (Jamie), Alex, and Dan (Carly); daughter Caity (Bryce), and their father Ralph; granddaughter Hainsley (who was born 2 days after Joanne’s 64th birthday); brothers, Murray (Karen), Blair (Lisa) and Donald (Candace) of Carlsbad, New Mexico; her parents, Louise and Harvey Purvis of Brandon; as well as numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Joanne was born in Virden, Manitoba in February 1955 and moved to Brandon with her parents in 1957, where she completed her education at Valleyview, Fleming and Vincent Massey Schools. Following her education, Joanne moved to Winnipeg. She spent many Christmases packing the kids in the car to make the trip to Brandon to celebrate with her family.

Soon after Joanne moved to Winnipeg, she became very involved in politics with the Liberal Party in Manitoba and worked at Campbell House, the Party Headquarters. She built lifelong friendships with many of the people who worked alongside her in the 1970s and ‘80s. She worked on many campaigns and perfected her skills as a political organizer. Politics was a passion for her and her knowledge and expertise were sought after by many.

In her professional career, she went on to work for the Society for Manitobans with Disabilities and Prairie Theatre Exchange. In the recent past, she started her own Consulting Company and became a consultant for various First Nations communities, including Fort Severn and Island Lakes. She wrote health proposals and spent time travelling up North where she created many new friendships. In addition to her consulting work, she also spent time teaching at Yellowquill College.

Her children were the focus of her life. She spent many hours driving them to their sports activities, especially hockey and basketball. She was the anchor of the family, sitting in the kitchen while her children and their world revolved around her. The kitchen was the centre of the action, and she was glowing with pride when her sons renovated her favorite spot. In the past few months, she had great joy playing with her baby granddaughter, who lived next door.

She loved family activities and wouldn’t miss going to see the Canada Day fireworks, whether viewing it at the Forks or Banana Boat trail. She loved going to the shows at Rainbow Stage, taking the kids to McKitrick Park or heading to Patricia Beach. Other favorites were heading to the Pan Am Pool for Jungle Night and packing everyone up in the car to go to the Drive-In theatre.

She was well known at the local Osborne Safeway, where she would always stop to chat with people she knew. One of Joanne’s favorite things was to have people over for coffee and hear about what was going on with their life. She was an attentive listener and spent many hours on the phone sharing stories with friends. She would share those stories among her friends so they all felt like they knew each other. Joanne will be sadly missed by many, especially her children and her parents.

A private family burial will be held at Millford Cemetery and a Celebration of Life will be announced later. Donations in her memory may be made to the Winnipeg Humane Society, 45 Hurst Way, Winnipeg, MB R3T 0R3 or the Manitoba Renal Program c/o Seven Oaks General Hospital Foundation, 2300 McPhillips Street, Winnipeg, MB R2V 3M3.