JANINE HIGHWAY

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JANINE HIGHWAY

Janine Highway, 48, of Winnipeg, Manitoba passed away unexpectedly on February 16, 2023. She was born on November 29, 1974 in The Pas, Manitoba.
Janine is mourned by her father Dan Highway, sister Lynda Highway, nephew Christian and niece Tehya, Marlin Audy, and numerous aunties, uncles, and cousins. She was predeceased by her mother Gladys Highway (née Constant), Irene Wojcik, and grandparents Joseph Jr. and Pelagie Highway of Brochet and Isiah and Margaret Constant of Opaskwayak Cree Nation.
Janine began working in the restaurant industry as a server at age 16. By the end of her career in the industry, she was creating and executing restaurant menus, work she especially loved. In 2011 she earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Winnipeg and undertook communications courses at Red River College. She worked as the Assembly of Manitoba Chief's (AMC) first policy analyst at its First Nations Family Advocate Office (FNFAO) where she is credited with helping to bring the AMC-Canada Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Child Welfare into fruition.
Janine is remembered by family and friends as extraordinarily beautiful and stylish, intelligent, athletic, and kind-hearted. She is remembered by Lynda for her compassion for every stray or unwanted cat she came across. Janine took in every one of them – at least ten - throughout her life.
Janine's immediate family is grateful to the following for their support in the days leading up to and just after her passing: Pier Sienema and Donna Crowley, Barbara Fobister, Olive Merasty-Didychuk, Nikita Didychuk (Tyrone Halcrow) and Hayden Halcrow, Linda Merasty-Sanderson, Allie Turnock, Norma Spence, Darlene Daniels, Mitch Bourbonniere, Cora Morgan of FNFAO, Marion Willis of St. Boniface Street Links, Janice Erickson and Patty Eadie. Finally, Janine's family is grateful to Israel Fobister for his random act of kindness to her just before she left this world.
A service in Janine's remembrance will be held on Saturday, March 11, 2023 (2:00 p.m.) at Eternal Grace Funerals (10-1111 Logan Avenue, Winnipeg). Honorary pallbearers will be Donna Duncan, Amanda Fobister, Yolanda Fobister, Monique Macdonnell, Candace Nykiforuk and Mavis Young-Sneep. A second service will take place in the spring in Janine's home community, Opaskwayak Cree Nation, where she will be laid to rest alongside her mother.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Boniface Street Links, Winnipeg Kitten Adoption or any grassroots-run cat rescue.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Mar 08, 2023