IWONA (YVONNE) LOUISE ZARNOWSKI

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IWONA (YVONNE) LOUISE ZARNOWSKI

November 13, 1954 –

October 31, 2023

Yvonne passed away peacefully, with family and friends by her side, on October 31 at Riverview Health Centre at the age of 68 years.



Yvonne was predeceased by her mother Wanda and her father Janusz. Yvonne is survived by her son, Lee. She will also be lovingly remembered by her siblings, Irena (Darryl), John (Jane), and Judy (Dale), as well as by her nieces, Pamela (Ross), Shellie, and Karly; and nephews, Jason (Tammy), Michael, Justin (Morgan), and Kyle.



Yvonne was born in Germany in 1954, and immigrated to Canada with her family at the age of two. She pursued creative endeavours her whole life and graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Arts from the University of Manitoba in 1986. Part of her engagement with the Winnipeg arts community included curating and organizing several group art shows, and her paintings were displayed in a number of galleries and public buildings in Winnipeg. She also pursued Japanese Taiko drumming and was one of the original members of Winnipeg’s Hinode Taiko group. With Hinode Taiko she performed at venues such as the Centennial Concert Hall, Winnipeg Folk Festival, as well as annual performances at Folklorama’s Japanese Pavilion. Yvonne had great empathy for all creatures great and small, and fostered a number of cats for the Winnipeg Humane Society during her lifetime. She also found great enjoyment in pursuing her interest in horseback riding in her later years. Yvonne was anchored by a deep sense of the spiritual throughout her life. A message she wanted to share in her final months was a profound sense of gratitude to “all the sentient beings she was able to learn from throughout her lifetime.”



The family thanks Dr. Kemkaran and Dr. Rittberg; as well as the staff at Health Sciences Centre, Winnipeg South Home Care, and Riverview Health Centre for the care they provided. A very special thanks to all of Yvonne’s friends and family, especially Connie Chappel and Len Paquin, who reached out to provide care and companionship during her last months.



A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, November 26 at 2:00 p.m. at the Japanese Cultural Association of Manitoba located at 180 McPhillips Street. In lieu of flowers, donations in Yvonne’s memory can be made to D'Arcy's Animal Rescue Centre, 730 Century St. B, Winnipeg, MB R3H 0M1.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Nov 18, 2023, Nov 18, 2023