It is with profound sadness and heavy hearts that the family announces the passing of Victoria (Vicki) Fleming on May 3, 2022. At her passing our beloved mom still had many roles in life – mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister-in-law, stepsister, aunt and friend to many people. Always a very independent and involved woman, she served her family and her community in significant ways.

Born in Manitoba’s Interlake in 1933, Mom was a child of the depression, part of a family where her parents and older siblings were recent immigrants from Eastern Europe. Poverty was a harsh reality and then her father died when she was only eleven. Her mother remarried a widower from Saskatchewan and the family moved to Hudson Bay. Blended families certainly have their challenges; as a result this feisty young woman left school and home after Grade 10 to engage the working world.

She moved to The Pas MB where she met a young redhead, Robert Fleming, who was also from Manitoba’s Interlake. After a short courtship and at the ripe old age of 18 and a half, she married Bob on October 8, 1951. Within their first three years of marriage, they built a house (themselves) and Dad contracted polio which caused temporary paralysis. Thankfully he recovered almost completely. They were blessed with two daughters: Lynda in 1953 and Holly in 1956.

In 1961 the family moved to Thompson and Dad joined the INCO maintenance department. They loved the outdoors and summers were spent camping. In 1967 they built a cottage at Paint Lake and spent many years developing and enjoying their delightful retreat. Dad’s health required him to retire early from INCO and initially they lived at their cottage. In the late 1980s they bought a property in Wabowden surrounded on three sides by water. This truly was their Shangri-la with “town living” and “cottage living” rolled into one.

Mom and Dad did major development to this property and became very involved in the small community. In 2001, just after their 50th anniversary, Dad passed away and Mom continued to live on the 3 acre point of land for these last 21 years. A large garden, hundreds and hundreds of flowers and continued community involvement kept her very busy. Mom was especially fond of the support services she provided at the local R.C.M.P. detachment. Her family encouraged her to consider a larger community, perhaps even further south, but she was very independent and did not want to be a burden to anyone.

Though we are very sad and will miss her terribly, we are very thankful that she did not suffer long term illness and that she was able to live in the location she desired for her entire life.

Mom is survived by daughters Lynda Morrison (Grant) and Holly Finney (Ken), grandchildren Heather Jacobson (Bryan), Rebekah Hiebert (Russel), and Teya Finney and Dr. Colby Finney, as well as great-grandchildren Nathan Jacobson, Clara Jacobson, Lucy Hiebert and Hope Hiebert, sister-in-law Sarah Fleming, stepbrother Alphonse Dereshkevich and many nieces and nephews.

Celebration of Life to be held in Wabowden, Manitoba on Saturday, June 18th, 2022 at 2:00pm at the Kenanow Centre. . Flowers gratefully declined. In Mom’s memory you may wish to donate to the Heart and Stroke Foundation (heartandstroke.ca).

We love you mom!