Toni McCULLOCH

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McCULLOCH: Toni Lee (Yake) McCulloch, June 10, 1973 – January 2, 2017. Toni Lee Yake was born in Abbotsford, British Columbia on June 10, 1973. She was welcomed by her father Don, her mother Sandy, brother Terry and sister Tricia. She was later big sister to Teresa. At the age of 2, her family moved to Clearwater, Manitoba to learn the wonderful life of farming. In 1976, the family then moved to the farm outside of Mather, MB where Toni spent her younger years. She went to kindergarten in Clearwater and started grade 1 in Mather School, coincidentally the same school her Grandpa Yake attended as a boy. When Mather school closed after Toni finished grade 5, she attended Clearwater Elementary for her grade 6 year. In 1992, Toni graduated from Thomas Greenway Collegiate in Crystal City, MB. Growing up, Toni enjoyed figure skating, bike riding, baseball, video games and 4H. She also volunteered as a candy striper in Pilot Mound. Toni loved Barbies as a little girl and always had a love for tigers. She later developed a love for music, card games, online games and cooking shows. Toni had a very close bond with her parents, brother and sisters. Family was always important and she loved to spend time with all family members, visiting whenever possible. After high school, Toni worked at various jobs in Cartwright and Killarney before moving to Brandon where she and Dean met. Toni embraced Dean’s young son, Brenden, into her life, caring for and loving him as her own. Toni and Dean started their life together in Souris, MB and within a few years, a job opportunity for Dean took them to beautiful Setting Lake, MB. In February 2005, Toni and Dean were married in Las Vegas and in November of that year, darling Keira was born. Keira was Toni’s pride and joy, and she loved her “to the moon and back”. While in Setting Lake, Dean and Toni created Muskeg Country Outfitters, a hunting and guiding business. 2011 saw the McCulloch family move to Erickson, MB to allow for greater opportunities for Keira and closer proximity to extended family. In Erickson, they once again established a successful business further expanding Muskeg. Muskeg was a huge part of the family life and Toni embraced the visitors that graced their home. j She was a wonderful hostess and although she didn’t particularly love cooking, she became very good at it. She also spent a great deal of time working alongside Dean clearing land, chopping wood, setting and checking baits and trap lines and building a guest cabin to enhance the experience for hunters and visitors. She became an avid hunter and fisherman, never afraid to try something new. On December 25, 2013 the family received the devastating news that Toni had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and thus began her 3 year battle with the dreaded disease. Toni immediately began treatment and was scheduled for surgery in early 2014. Surgery was deemed successful and by September of 2014 Toni was declared cancer free – she had beat cancer! Toni lived cancer free for a short 10 months before being told the cancer had returned. She was determined to beat it again and began her courageous battle. Many things were tried that may have prolonged her time with us but in the end, her mighty strength was gone and we lost our beautiful girl. Toni was fiercely loyal to family and friends and remained amazingly strong in spirit and will during her battle with cancer. A Celebration of Toni’s life was held at Central United Church in Brandon MB on Saturday, January 7, 2017. We’ll never know how many lives Toni touched with her love and thoughtfulness but we are all missing an angel. Love and remembrance last forever and Toni will be truly missed. In Loving Memory of Toni Lee (Yake) McCulloch.

As published in Brandon Sun on Feb 18, 2017