JUDIE THORNHILL (NIELSEN)

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JUDIE THORNHILL (NIELSEN) August 19, 1948 - August 23, 2010 Peacefully, after a courageous battle against cancer, on August 23, 2010 Judie passed away at the age of 62. Judie is survived by her beloved husband of 42 years, Al, her daughters, Jacki (Todd) and Kelly (Richard) and her four most beautiful and special grandchildren: Hannah, Jared, Paige and Matty. She also leaves her mother and father, Marjorie and Chris Nielsen, her brother Kris (Rose) and their children, Maegen and Melissa; as well as numerous other relatives and friends. Judie was born in Winnipeg and as an Air Force brat, moved many times in her childhood, meeting many wonderful friends along the way. One of those friends became the love of her life, Al, and they married on April 11, 1968. Soon afterwards, Jacki was born and not long afterwards, Kelly was welcomed into the world. Al and Judie bought their first house in Charleswood in 1973 where Judie was a stay at home mom. She volunteered for various groups including schools, community clubs and the library, until she returned to work as a secretary in 1985. The first thing on her agenda, once she returned to work was to save up enough money to buy an in-ground pool, which she did and spent many glorious summer afternoons floating around in her African Queen laughing and dreaming of the next big adventure. She soon found herself at the C.N.I.B. where she eventually was hired on as a braillist and worked tirelessly for 15 years transcribing textbooks for students all over Canada. She retired from C.N.I.B. in 2007. In retirement, they tried moving, camping and even going to Texas, finally settling back in Winnipeg to be with family. The family spent many years at the cottage at Barren Lake and laughter could be heard coming from the veranda and echoing across the lake. Judie had many wonderful qualities that this world is going to miss because she's not in it. She was a self-proclaimed introvert, but if you got to know her, look out for her incredibly quick wit, one-liners and smart aleck comebacks, no one was safe! She always took part in social functions, score keeping at baseball games or going to hockey games that Al coached. Fun was had whenever Judie walked into a room and her laugh was contagious. Judie also had many hobbies and was always willing to try something new, from teaching herself to play the guitar, wine making, knitting or more recently, yoga. She was a voracious reader and loved all sports and was an athlete in school. She was also an avid writer and loved to write anytime, any place. She loved plants, gardening, bird watching, going for walks and soaking up life with every step. But Judie's biggest passion in life was her husband, her girls and her grandchildren. Nothing in life meant more to Judie than her family. Judie and Al had a marriage most people envied, deep mutual respect for one another, adoration and love that never stopped or waned. She was always there for family, guiding them, supporting them in all their endeavors, hugging them, encouraging them, and loving them. Judie was incredibly strong in mind, body and soul and she passed on these wonderful traits to her family. She was a role model as a mother, friend and to anyone she met and she is going to be so missed! We love you two cents! From the bottom of our hearts, we would like to thank the Doctors and staff at CancerCare Manitoba for their compassionate care and all the staff and nurses from the Women's Hospital on the 5th Floor and the Palliative Care Unit at the St. Boniface Hospital. Thank you also to Dr. Rumbolt for his dedication to our family for over 25 years and always being there. Respecting Judie's wishes, a private family service has been held. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to CancerCare Manitoba. NAMASTE Chapel Lawn 885-9715

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As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Aug 28, 2010